


Once in A Dream

by Hudine



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cannon? What’s Cannon?, F/M, HP characters show up from time to time but mostly DW in a magical universe, Time Lady!Rose, Time Lords can shapeshift, Will not follow episodes exactly, chameleon arched Time Lords to find, hate episode rewrites, more characters and relationships to be added, sorry will be slow on updates, what if Harry Potter and Doctor Who were in the same universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:15:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 57,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25944961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hudine/pseuds/Hudine
Summary: Doctor Who (season 2 onwards) takes place in a more magical universe. Same one as Harry Potter as it happens. Things progress differently when magic is involved.Rose Tyler finds out she’s actually a Time Lord after the whole‘bad wolf’incident undoes the chameleon arch. There are more Time Lords out there waiting to just‘wake up’from their chameleon arched state. The Doctor and Rose must find them.
Relationships: Irving Braxiatel/Bernice Summerfield, Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler
Comments: 39
Kudos: 39





	1. Christmas Invasion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aelwyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aelwyn/gifts), [GroovyKat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GroovyKat/gifts), [Spiritofeowyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiritofeowyn/gifts).



> Hi! Please note that updates for this may take a while because it takes me a while to write a chapter. I’m exploring a more magical setting for Doctor who, not that they call it magic. Time Lords being Time Lords have a perfectly logical explanation for the existence of magic thank you very much. They just won’t tell anyone what that is exactly. As a result of magic being in this universe Gallifreyans evolution took a slightly different path. 
> 
> Big thanks to Aelwyn SpiritofEowyn and Gooveykat for encouraging me to start posting what I write again.

The Doctor pulled up the lever of the device he had put together. Amazed that he’s finally finished the delta wave. “It's ready!” He looked up as the Daleks began to file into the room, surrounding him. The Doctor said to the Daleks, “You really wanna think about this. 'Cos if I activate the signal, every living creature dies.”

The Emperor of the Daleks states from the view screen, “I am immortal.”

The Doctor replied, “D'you wanna put that to the test?”

To which the Emperor Dalek just taunted in reply, “l want to see you become like me. Hail the Doctor, the Great Exterminator!”

The Doctor placed his hand on the lever. “I'll do it!”

“Then prove yourself, Doctor. What are you: coward or killer?”

The Doctor's hands were tense on the lever. He Was shaking, his face screwed up in pain. Then, he just lets it go. “Coward. Any day.” 

The Emperor of the Daleks gloats, “Mankind will be harvested because of your weakness.”

The Doctor asked, “And what about me? Am I becoming one of your angels?”

“You are the Heathen. You will be exterminated.”

The Doctor didn’t resist. “Maybe it's time.” And he closed his eyes, ready with Daleks all around him. Suddenly, one of the Dalek's eyepieces swivels around as they all hear the sound of the TARDIS engines. It began to fade in at exactly the point where it had left. 

A Dalek shouted out, “Alert! TARDIS materialising!” As The Doctor's eyes snapped open and as he spinned around in shock. 

The Emperor exclaimed, “You will not escape!” 

The TARDIS fully materialised and the doors flew open. The Doctor threw a hand over his eyes as the blinding golden light of the time vortex poured out. In the doorway stood Rose. The Doctor stared, awestruck as the light curled around Rose when she stepped forward. The Doctor stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. He also can notice the presence of another Time Lord in his head and it was coming from Rose. He asked with fear in his voice, “What've you done?”

Rose gazed down at him, her eyes full of the light of the time vortex. When she spoke, her London accent had vanished and as an echoing quality to it, “I looked into the TARDIS. And the TARDIS looked into me.”

The Doctor was still clearly frightened for her. “You looked into the Time Vortex, Rose, no one's meant to see that.”

The Emperor of the Daleks proclaimed, “This is the abomination!” 

One Dalek exclaimed, “Exterminate!” as it fired at Rose, who held up her hand. The bolt froze and reversed back into the gun. 

The Doctor looked on in amazement. He stared up at Rose intensely. 

Rose declared, “I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words...” Rose waved her hand. “…I scatter them in time and space...” The words ‘Bad Wolf’ rose from the wall and floated away. “…A message to lead myself here.”

The Doctor pleaded urgently, “Rose, you've got to stop this. You've got to stop this now.” Rose stared straight ahead as though she hadn't heard him. “You've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're gonna burn.” 

Rose suddenly looked at him. “I want you safe...” The Doctor was taken aback. He stared. Rose had the traces of tears on her cheeks as she continued, “…My Doctor. Protected from the false God.”

The Emperor of the Daleks replied, “You cannot hurt me. I am immortal.”

Rose just replied, “You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence, and I divide them...” She raised her hand. The Dalek in the centre was separated into golden, liquid-like particles. “…Everything must come to dust... all things. Everything dies...” She looked to the side, and the Daleks lined up there were reduced to golden particles. “…The Time War ends.”

The Emperor was afraid as he proclaimed “I will not die. I cannot die!” 

The entire mothership was reduced to the liquid-like golden particles, dissolving away into oblivion. Rose stood with her arms raised, staring straight ahead of her, shaking. 

The Doctor said worriedly, “Rose, you've done it. Now stop. Just let go.” 

Rose in a hushed, blissful voice replied, “How can I let go of this? I bring life...” In a nearby corridor Jack suddenly took a huge intake of breath as his eyes snapped open.

The Doctor was terrified now. “But this is wrong! You can't control life and death!”

Rose looked at him again. “But I can. The sun and the moon... the day and night...” Her voice trembled. “…But why do they hurt...?”

The Doctor was desperate, he could feel she’s now a Time Lord on top of it all which was probably how she’s lasted so long. “The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault.” He lowered his head with anguish. 

She replied, a tear falling down her cheek, “I can see everything...” The Doctor raised his head again. “…All that is... all that was... all that ever could be.” 

The Doctor stood up abruptly, looked down at her as if suddenly, he understood. “That's what I see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?” 

Rose sounded scared, “My head...”

“Come here.”

“... it's killing me...”

The Doctor took her hands. “I think you need a Doctor.” They step slowly around to face each other. The Doctor gazed into her eyes, and then gently, carefully, leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. As he kissed her, the Time Vortex flowed out of her eyes and into his. They parted slowly and they gazed at each other for a few more moments before Rose's eyes fluttered closed and she fell into his arms, unconscious. He laid her carefully down on the floor and then stood up straight, facing the TARDIS calmly. He slowly exhaled and the Time Vortex was expelled from his mouth and it streamed back through the doors into the TARDIS. The doors closed quietly, and the TARDIS looked completely normal once more. The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled softly to himself. He kneels down and leaned over Rose, stroking her face and neck tenderly. She still felt like a Time Lord to him, he doesn’t know how but he’ll figure that out later. For now he needed to get them both into the TARDIS.

******

Rose _ ‘The Bad Wolf’ _ , of the Patrex chapter of Gallifrey woke up with the worst headache ever. The last thing she remembered was being in an experimental TARDIS capsule with the rest of her crew. Suddenly there had been an explosion exposing the heart of their TARDIS, and the energy hit all of them. She regenerated for only the third time in her lives, as the others did likewise. Something was wrong, she had shrunk, her arms and legs were too small and she couldn’t even properly support her head. She had become a Baby! How in the name of Rassilon, Omega and The Other did that happen!

Rose remembered that sometime later they were rescued by a team of Resistance soldiers. The soldiers had taken them to a rather shocked Narvin, Braxiatel and Romanna… She’s never seen Braxiatel be anything other than cool and collected. The look on his face though when he was handed over one of her crew mates, also a baby, and told that was his nephew would have been comical if she weren’t also stuck as a baby.

After some debate her and her crew were  _ ‘volunteered’ _ to be the first ones to start the evacuation plan via chameleon arch. To be spread throughout time and space as humans until the war was over. Well that explains how she became the human girl known as Rose Tyler at least. She must have been dropped off with Pete and Jackie Tyler who were no doubt made to think she was their daughter. Come to think of it, she never saw a picture of her  _ ‘mum’ _ pregnant and Jackie was always fuzzy on those details if asked.

There was something she was forgetting though. Something important. It was then she remembered The Game Station, the Doctor sending her away and looking into the TARDIS out of desperation to get back. The TARDIS must have turned her back into a Time Lady. The details after though, they were still fuzzy. Everything she had seen or done while she carried the power of a TARDIS. She had a flash of memory of being on Gallifrey. The Doctor was there still in the regeneration he had as he fought in the war, but nothing else about that. The Wolf also remembered being at the Game Station and turning Daleks into dust. Then she was having trouble letting go. The Doctor kissed her! Rose shot up and looked over at the Doctor. They were back on the TARDIS.

  
  


“About time you woke up, I would say you humans sleep your life away, but you’re not human are you?”

“For what it’s worth I really did think I was until the TARDIS undid the chameleon arch.” She could see and feel the apprehension he felt but was trying to hide. She couldn’t blame him; there were a lot of crazy Time Lords running about before the war ended. “Oh come on Doctor, I’m still me. There was no personality rewrite programmed in, I just happen to have another nine hundred years of memories I didn’t remember before is all.”

“Yea? And who are you then?” The Doctor asked, gripping the TARDIS console.

“I’ve told you that already I’m The Bad Wolf, otherwise respond to just Wolf, Rose, or even Hey You. I’m of the Patrex chapter, despite growing up around the Mount Lung area and being sponsored into the academy by a Prydonian chapter house. I was actually known as Rose from when I was a kid, and not the Gallifreyan equivalent either. My parents used to like to grow good old Earth Roses, among other varieties from all over the universe, but English Roses were their favourites. Had a garden park full of them. Famous throughout all of Gallifrey.” She was babbling now and she knew it.

The Doctor thought for a moment something sounded familiar about all of that. He groaned half in pain, and half because of remembrance. He remembered who else had parents famous the planet wide for their wide variety of roses, as well as the engineering that went into the upkeep and design of the park, and was also of that chapter. After all he’d been there often enough as a youngster, her parents leased the land from his house’s estate on Mount Lung. His granddaughter was named after the field of Arkytior flowers in that park. He replied somewhere between accusing and incredulous,“You’re Narvin’s sister, aren’t you?”

The Bad Wolf was for a moment a little surprised he knew Narvin even had a sister, but then she remembered he was from Lungbarrow. They played together as children. He even knew her parents, and her mother’s parents that leased the land before them. Her and her brother both got into the academy under the sponsorship of his family. She took a few steps towards him. She replied in an equally half accusing, half incredulous tone. “You’re Braxiatel’s brother aren’t you?”

“Touché,” He replied in a conciliatory manner, then asked confused,“Didn’t you join the Sisterhood on Karn?”

“I’m rare, I’m a child of the TARDIS. My shifted form is a golden coated dahrama, so rare coat as well. In case you’ve forgotten.” She stated. 

“Of course I remember you, we played together as children. Used to tussle with each other as cubs in our dahrama forms. I'm a rare coat as well which is why when the population numbers went down a good bit around the time we were old enough, they picked me and not Brax. He’s just normal white with blue guard hair.” The Doctor let go of the console. “Not seen you since you were eight years old though.”

Rose started to pace about. “Yes well. I may be from outside the houses, but my talents as you know, are highly sought after by certain bloodlines. Not all parents are as kind as you were to your youngest. Letting them choose who and when to marry. Narvin managed to escape that fate by only being able to shift, and also being male had less chances of passing on the  _ ‘magic genes’ _ anyway. Joining the sisterhood was the only way I could get out of marrying  _ ‘the’ _ most obnoxious Time Lord who was from a high house, with a high and mighty attitude to match. He thought us commoners were beneath him. You should know him, he was a cousin of yours. So soon as I graduated from The Academy I was on the next shuttle to Karn and begged Ohila. Unfortunately they’re not so kind to  _ ‘sisters’ _ who regenerate into  _ ‘brothers’ _ . So I had to go back to Gallifrey after the end of my first life, but I was old enough by then to avoid forced marriage.”

The Doctor suddenly doubled over in pain and Rose started to run towards him. “No stay back!”

The Wolf could now see a flicker of regeneration energy run over his hand, smell the buildup of Lindos in the air. She stopped in her tracks. “You’re regenerating. Oh my God I killed you. I know now how stupid what I did was, but I didn’t as a human. I’m so sorry. Wait… how come I’m fine. Last time I was exposed to the heart of a TARDIS I regenerated into a baby, then Narvin and Braxiatel used a chameleon arch and that’s how I ended up as Rose Tyler… Sorry babbling.”

“This regeneration has been a bit dodgy from the start. My time senses are terrible, my telepathy is worse. I thought Eight was bad with all the memory problems, would take that over everything wrong with this body any day. Especially the ears. I really hope I’ve got ears next time, just not as big.”

“I like your ears, they suit you,” Rose replied, tears welling.

“I was going to take you to so many places, like Barcelona. The planet not the city. They got dogs with no noses, can you imagine how many times you can tell that joke and it would still be funny? Guess I still can, just not with this daft old face.”

“I still killed you through my own stupidity.”

“Hey, none of that. I did it willingly and knowingly. I’d also do it again. What you did means I’m not alone anymore. I’m grateful. I’m sure you can feel how lonely it is with only one mind buzzing in the back of your head. Imagine there being none, while knowing it’s your own fault. You’ve given me hope.”

Her tears started flowing fully as she looked at the man she had fallen in love with. “You had to do what you did, it was terrible but what Rassilon was talking about doing around the time I left was much worse. There’s probably more survivors out there. Romana, Braxiatel and Narvin devised an evacuation plan. I was one of the first to go. Along with the rest of my crew, who all got turned into babies. There were six of us. Including your youngest son. He's still alive out there somewhere and no doubt thinks he’s human. I want this you to know that before you die, you are not alone.”

“Rose Tyler, Rose of the Patrex chapter, or The Bad Wolf. Whatever you want to go by now. You know what? You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I.” Suddenly the change took him as he burst into golden light and his features morphed as he turned into a new man. Instead of the gruff Northerner with big ears, there was a skinny man with brown eyes and in the Wolf’s opinion, some really great hair. “S….” he stopped after trying to speak for a moment. “New teeth, that’s weird.” His accent had also changed to one closer to her own. “Now where were we? Oh yes, Barcelona!”

The Doctor started flipping switches on the TARDIS console. The Wolf pulled him away from it and manhandled him as far away as possible, as she kept a good grip on him and stood between him and the console. “Doctor, flying the TARDIS while regenerating isn’t a good idea.”

“Awwww Rose. Where’s your sense of adventure gone?”

“Still right where I left it, and anything has only gotten bigger since changing back. But seriously, right now you’d probably end up blowing a hole in the universe instead. Besides, friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”

“Drunk? I’m not drunk.” He sounded so indignant.

“You may as well be. Your reputation for acting crazy while regenerating proceeds you.”

“But Rose….” He wined and gave her puppy dog eyes.

“Nope, you need to go to the zero room now.”

“I don’t have one anymore. So I may as well take us somewhere safe.” He broke away from her and darted towards the console.

Before he got there Rose yelled out, “Old Girl, shut the Doctor out of the controls for the next twenty four hours!”

He tried flipping switches but nothing happened. “What…. How… Rose that’s just not fair! How did you do that? This is an old type 40! The voice controls shouldn’t have an emergency override from its primary pilot.”

“Child of the TARDIS. I can talk with them. They understand me, and me them. Your old girl here is really clever. She didn’t get to be the oldest TARDIS still in operation long before the war even happened without being clever. She slipped her control collar long before she stole you and your granddaughter.”

_ ‘Like I’d ever give him back,’ _ the TARDIS commented to her telepathically.

“I borrowed her…”

“Nope, she’s quite adamant she stole you. She slipped her collar but still needed a Time Lord to go travelling and she desperately wanted to. So she stole a Time Lord and ran away. I’m actually quite impressed. She’s not only beautiful but has brains as well. Still needs a Time Lord to be at least inside though.”

The Doctor walked away from the console. “You two are going to gang up on me, I just know it.” Rose didn’t deny it. “So you may as well tell me? How do I look? No, no don’t tell me….” the Doctor ran his hands over his face. “Bad skin.” Then moved to his hair. “Hair! I've got hair! Ooo big hair.” Moved to the side of his face. “Sideburns! I’ve got sideburns!” Patted his body. “I’m more skinny, that will take some getting used to. Still nothing a few more layers won’t fix. I’ve got a mole! I can feel it! On my back between my shoulder blades. Love the mole.” He turned to face Rose while grinning. “So what do you think?”

“Different.”

“Good different or bad different?”

“Just different.”

“Am… I… ginger?”

“No, just sort of brown.”

“All the times I’ve regenerated, and I’ve yet to be ginger. And now you won’t even let me fly my TARDIS so I can go figure out who I am. Even my own TARDIS is siding against me. All these years we’ve been together, all the things we’ve been through, and you side with the third Time Lady to come along. Sure she’s smart and good looking, but she’s also a natural ginger. Well more strawberry blond than ginger, but either way instead of wearing that magnificent shade of hair, she got to cover it up with a really bad primitive dye job. Oh that was rude… is that what I am now? Rude and not ginger? By all evidence I’ve certainly got a gob. Normally after regenerating I have to scramble around and save some planet or another, mostly Earth for some reason. How am I going to figure out who I am sitting in a zero room?”

“I know exactly who you are,” Rose replied, as she cut into his ramble. “You’re the Doctor.”

“It just occurred to me, this is actually the first time I’ve regenerated with someone around who actually knows what is going on. That’s usually my line you know, having to convince someone I’m still the Doctor. Look, Rose… or do you prefer Wolf, or Bad Wolf?”

“To you I’m Rose. I’ll probably go by The Wolf while introducing myself to people who don’t know me though. Got to keep the myth alive that all Time Lords have ridiculous names after all. Even if we are all that’s left for now.”

“You know the chances of finding the others, if there still are others alive out there. The chances of finding them are slim, right?”

“Maybe. I’m not giving up easily though. Both of us have brothers who are extremely stubborn, sneaky, and tenacious, with the means and a plan. I may not know the exact details, or how many were changed and hidden away. What I do know is if anyone could pull it off it would be them.”

The Doctor gave a somewhat sad smile. “I’d like to believe it, but I saw a lot of the good ones die.”

The Wolf stood up straighter and said with confidence, “Do you want to know what I was doing during the war? I was officially CIA but in reality working for Romana. We’d managed to grow an experimental TARDIS that could only be piloted by people like me. Children of the TARDIS. There’s not many of us, but we managed to recruit six. Our TARDIS was designed for stealth and was all but untraceable. We spent most of the time sneaking away refugees, as well as people Rassilon wanted out of the way and faking their deaths. Most of the people you thought you saw die were in reality just a ganger. We had already sneaked those people away and kept them behind really heavy telepathic shielding. We didn’t just save Time Lords, we evacuated as many people as we could from planets that got destroyed and relocated them far away. All under the High Council and Supreme Lord President Asshole’s nose. We in no way could save them all or even most but we did our best. So you may be ready to give up, but I’m not.” Rose had taken a few steps towards him. “Now let's get you to that zero room you say you don’t have but your TARDIS assures me you do.”

“But I’m fine. Honestly Rose never felt better. I’m not about to pass out or anything.” Right on queue he passed out and fell to the grating as soon as he finished insisting he wasn’t going to.

Rose rolled her eyes. He may change but he also never changes. She was glad she was stronger now her body was no longer human. She managed to just about pick him up and carried him into the depths of the TARDIS and deposited him in the zero room. She wrote a quick note on a post-it note the TARDIS provided saying,  _ ‘No zero room, and not about to pass out, huh? Gone to land the TARDIS somewhere safe’ _ , stuck it to his forehead and left him there and headed back to the console room.

-x-x-x-

“Ok old girl, we best get us somewhere safe while he finishes regenerating.”

The TARDIS just took over controls and landed them somewhere herself without Rose’s input. “Show off.”

_ ‘Well I never need to pretend with you my Wolf, like I do with my Thief. He will get all pouty if I steer myself. So I have to let him at least think he knows what he is doing.’ _

Rose smiled inwardly at that. It was probably true. “How long will he be in the healing coma?”

_ ‘One hour, fifteen minutes, and twenty-one seconds, approximately.’ _ The TARDIS replied.

She looked at the screen and the space time coordinates. “London, 25th December, 2006. Christmas in London then. Please tell me you didn’t bring me to Jackie, I really don’t want to see her. She’d never understand the fact I’m not who she thought I was, or her daughter.”

_ ‘No my Wolf, but you do need to dealt with that sooner or later.’ _

“Deal, dealt is past tense. I haven’t done it yet so it’s future tense,  _ ‘deal’ _ . Or perhaps,  _ ‘do that sooner or later’ _ , taking out the  _ ‘with’ _ .”

_ ‘Past, present, future. I always get those mixed up.’ _

“You’re not doing too bad for an eleven dimensional being. You’ve not answered any questions I’ve not asked yet at least.” She stroked the console. “Well I guess I should go take a look outside then.” 

Rose walked out the TARDIS to find she was inside a shop. The shop was filled with all sorts of bizarre items, there was one display saying,  _ ‘joke wands’ _ , another had  _ ‘skiving snack boxes’ _ , beside them was  _ ‘tongue tied taffies’ _ , there was another display with  _ ‘extendable ears’ _ , and yet another said  _ ‘Psychic Paper – Fool your friends, teachers and strangers alike by making them see whatever you want them to see. Need a hall pass, no trouble just think of a hall pass and any nosey teachers will see a hall pass. How about identification saying you’re the Supreme Mugwump, simple just think of it. The possibilities are endless.’ _

She picked up a wallet of psychic paper, it was identical to what both the Doctor as well as Jack used.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” A familiar voice said from behind her.

“No Forge, I do believe it really is Rose Tyler.” Another replied to the first.”

The now Time Lady turned around, saw both Weasley twins and squealed in delight and hugged both of them briefly in a very undignified and untime lady like manner. Rose had read Reta Skeeter or  _ ‘JK Rowling’s’ _ books about Harry Potter that she will write in a few years and released in the Muggle world. It was during her childhood on Gallifrey the Wolf first read them. She loved the books, but now looking back and haven lived through it, she’d have to admit there was a lot that was made up for drama. Sure Harry Potter had the oddest life of anyone she knew before meeting the Doctor. Strange things happened to him every school year, but besides maybe the Triwizard Tournament, and Umbrage it was nowhere near as bad as the books painted it to be. 

Of course being one of the  _ ‘magical’ _ Gallifreyan people, also made her a  _ ‘magic user’ _ as a human too. The so-called magic in reality was just psychic energy, but humans didn’t know that yet. As a human girl she got a Hogwarts letter the summer after she finished Primary School along with a visit from Professor McGonagall to explain everything. She was sorted into Gryffindor, and was in the same year as the Weasley twins. Rose had been a little afraid Fed was dead like he was in the books, although George was missing an ear. “It’s really great to see the both of you again.”

“Where have you been?” Fed asked.

“We were afraid the Snatchers got you.” George finished.

“When old Mouldy Shorts took over the ministry I hid in the muggle world. Gave up using my magic as best I could, didn’t carry my wand, and got a job in a shop. Just tried to be normal, kept my head down. Then I met a man one day and ran off with him to go travelling. Been with him ever since. The places he’s taken me you would never believe. His name is the Doctor and he’s resting at the moment in our transport.” She held up the psychic paper. “We’ve used this stuff a lot. Got us out of a fair few scrapes. It somehow doesn’t surprise me in the least that you two invented it.”

“One of our best achievements if we do say so ourselves. Right Fred?” George boasted.

“Still giving the ministry problems to this day. We made it to help muggle borns during the war,” Fred replied proudly.

“The ministry won’t admit to it giving them problems, or ban the stuff though,” the other twin added cheerfully.

“Use it too often themselves, to send messages internally, or when doing official business in the muggle world,” Fred elaborated.

“I’d buy some but I’ve only got Muggle money on me at the moment. Could use my own psychic paper instead of just using The Doctor’s all the time,” Rose lamented.

“Keep it. In fact if you give me a moment I’ll assemble everything from the care packages we gave muggle borns during the war since you didn’t get one,” George said and started gathering up some things from shelves, “What colour of backpack do you want?”

“Really you don’t have to do that George,” Rose replied.

“No, but we want to. Wouldn’t have got a lot of our early inventions working if it wasn’t for you helping to test them along with Angelina and Lee. Not to mention your gift with ancient runes and runic arrays making it easier to bounce ideas off you. 

“We really are glad to see you still alive, even Harry and Hermione were worried. They joined the teams of people trying to track down lost muggle borns after the Battle of Hogwarts. They found your Mum but she was beside herself because you had gone missing and was blaming your boyfriend. They talked to him but he kept blabbering something about you running off with an alien in a blue box. So backpack?”

“I’ll have a blue one then. You know since I was abducted by an alien in a blue box. Thanks George. I’ll come back and buy some stuff as soon as I get some actual Wizarding World money.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s Christmas after all. We’re also doing quite well at the moment. With Hogwarts being rebuilt, there’s no kids at school right now,” Fred replied as he started to rummage around behind the counter looking for something.

“It kind of surprises me you’re open on Christmas Day. Thought your Mum would have dragged you both kicking and screaming back to the Burrow for Christmas.”

“Oh she did, didn’t you notice my missing ear? She tugged too hard and ripped it right off,” George joked while he finished up gathering things.

“Besides we’re not open. Just not in the least bit surprised you got in here past our wards. You always were better at getting into places than us and that’s saying something. Our Bill was always impressed by how quickly you pickup ancient runes,  _ ‘It’s as if she’s remembering a language rather than learning it,’ _ he’d say. So if someone were to manage to get into our shop and put a bloody great big blue box in the middle of our shop floor while they’re at it. Well who else could it be?” Fred elaborated.

“That wouldn’t be the blue box belonging to the alien who abducted you is it?” George asked as he handed her a TARDIS blue backpack with undetectable extension charms, and full of goodies, such as shield charm hats, psychic paper, extendable ears, sneakoscope, a flask that will never run out of water, and an assortment of other goodies.

“Yea okay you caught me. It’s like one of those tents that has lots of rooms in them. Only a lot bigger, and it can disappear here and reappear there. Like I said my friend is in there sleeping off being sick. I’m sure he’d be delighted to meet you both though when he wakes up. So what are you both doing here if you're closed?” Rose leaned back against the TARDIS. She was rather obvious and Rose honestly would be more surprised if the perception filter actually did work on the twins.

Fred pulled a box out from behind the counter and rummaged through it, pulled out random items and put them back in as he decided against them. “Came to look for something we got here to see if it will snap people out of the mass hypnosis.”

“The what?” The Time Lady asked confused.

“Hypnosis. How could you not notice? Seemingly random people all over are standing on top of buildings at the edge as if they are ready to jump. We’re pretty sure it’s just hypnosis and not a mass imperious of some sort. People are just in a trance of some kind and wont respond to anyone, just stand there on the edge. It’s not just witches and wizards though, the muggles are doing it too. The ministry is in chaos both from people standing on the roof and trying to figure out what’s going on. Anyway Harry is standing on the roof of the Burrow and Mum and Ginny are freaking out. They’re afraid of him slipping and have already conjured a giant air mattress on the ground under him.”

In disbelief of what Fred had told her she went outside. People were on the roofs of buildings and the people on the ground were either watching helplessly or casting cushioning charms in case anyone fell. “How long has this been going on?”

“A few hours now. The muggles think it’s aliens because someone has interrupted their TV? I believe it’s called? Anyway someone interrupted wearing this big scary looking mask and spoke in another language no one can seem to translate. Honestly I’d be proud of the prank someone is pulling right now if it wasn’t for the fact someone really could hurt themselves.” George said as he leaned against his shop door and watched his old friend.

Fred came out and held up a weird looking gun thing triumphantly. “Found it!  _ ‘The Detranceafier’ _ !”

“The what?” Rose asked, as she shook her head, “What kind of name is that?

“A bad one,” the other twin admitted, “I would rather have called it  _ ‘The Trance Be Gone Gun’ _ but we couldn’t agree. So we wrote the names on paper and stuck them to an old muggle dart board Dad had and got Angelina to throw a dart at it. Fred won.”

“I’m not sure which is better. So guess we better get up on one of these roofs and see if it actually works. Anyone have a ladder?” Rose asked, as she looked around her.

“Should be one in the backpack I just gave you,” George replied.

She rummaged around in the backpack George gave her and found a ladder that had only two rungs in lengthwise and held it up questioningly. Fred took it and moved to the wall of the building across from them. “Extendable self securing ladder, just picture how high you want it to go and plant it down.” Fred gave the bottom a good hard shove onto the ground, stood back, then it suddenly started to grow until it reached the top of the building.

“Only five sickles and six knuts each, never need another ladder again no matter what distance you need it to go!” The other twin called out to the crowd of onlookers that had gathered to watch, as his brother started to climb up the ladder.

Rose watched as Fred pointed the gun at a shorty stocky wizard with a dark greying beard. The wizard appeared to snap out of it for a moment, but only a moment. “It’s no good. Looks like the signal making them like this, kicks back in as soon as the gun stops transmitting the jamming signal,” she called out to Fred.

Fred was about to reply but there was a sudden sonic boom that shattered glass and made Fred as well as some of the more precariously situated people fall off the roof. Thankful for the cushioning charm that meant he and the others who fell wasn't harmed, he looked up and gaped at the strange object hovering over London that looked part meteor and part machine. “What by Merlin’s knobbly staff is that?!”

“That? Why that would be a bloody great big spaceship Fred.” Rose replied looking up at it. “A Sycorax enslavement frigate to be precise. This is actually pretty bold for them, normally they wouldn’t try anything on a planet this size, with this dense a population, without more ships. Bet they’re causing all this somehow, and are just chancing it on the premise of scare the natives into making them comply.” Rose grabbed the ladder and it shrunk down again so she could shove it into her new backpack then throw it over her shoulder.

“But there’s no such thing as aliens,” George said as he helped up his brother.

“That’s not true. The universe is so alive out there. Even some of the sentient magical creatures such as Centaurs and Goblins, actually are aliens who came here for whatever reason and went native. Don’t believe me go into Gringotts sometime and use the magic words  _ ‘article eighty-seven of the Shadow Proclamation’ _ and see how they’ll suddenly want to bargain with you over interest rates.”

“Article eighty-seven of the what?” Fred asked, confused.

“Shadow Proclamation. They’re a bit like the UN only on an intergalactic scale. Article eighty-seven is about not setting up businesses, religions or financial institutions on any planet below level seven and Earth is at level five, and was actually only level four when they established Gringotts. Anyway never mind all that, let’s see if we can jam the signal in a more permanent way.”

“Where are you going?” George was just as confused as his twin as they followed Rose through the shop door and on into the TARDIS. 

“You know. You two are probably the first humans to walk through those doors for the first time and not be surprised it’s bigger on the inside. And the Doctor wasn’t here to see it,” Rose mused, “Fred I need to see your whatever you called it a minute.” She groaned as she realised her mistake too late as she absently accepted a ball of slime that melted the instant it touched her palm. “I’ve known you both since this regeneration was eleven. I really should know better than to make such an ambiguous request like that by now.”

“This regeneration?” George asked, confused as he looked around the console room.

“It’s a long story. Turns out I’m not human, I’m an alien who got turned into a human temporarily while trying to escape a war. Only just back to my proper biology and have all my memories back.”

“Yea right, pull the other one,” Fed replied.

“No really.” She held out her arm. “I’ve got two hearts. Feel my pulse.” Fred hesitated a moment. “Go on.”

“Alright,” he intoned disbelievingly and reached for her wrist only to jump back in shock after feeling the double heartbeat. “Bloody hell! She has got two hearts George.”

“Yea right…” George also felt her pulse. “How?”

“Like I said. Long story. I’m actually a Time Lord or Lady if you prefer but Time Lord isn’t actually a gendered term on Gallifrey. I’m nine hundred years old. We’re from the planet Gallifrey. You’re currently in the TARDIS. That stands for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space, she is bigger on the inside and travels in time and space. Also she is actually a living sentient being, so be nice. Any questions or have I covered just about everything?” Rose asked, as she wondered if she’s going to be as bad as the Doctor in the rambling department this time around.

“But we met you as a kid, how could you be hundreds of years old?” One of the twins asked.

“Ah well that’s a bit more complicated. You’ve seen Dumbledore’s Phoenix right? Well you know how when it dies it goes up in flames and there’s a new baby bird in its place? That bird is new, yet it’s also the same bird with the same soul.” Rose started to move some dials on the console.

“Time Lords do something similar. We call it regeneration. When one body dies we pretty much erupt in what looks a bit like flames and every cell in our bodies change. Only unlike a Phoenix we change what we look like as well. Could come out looking young or old, male or female, different heights, different body builds, different hair colours, different facial structures, everything,” She continued as she ran around the console to flip a few switches.

The time lady stopped running around and looked over at the twins. “Last time I regenerated due to unforeseen circumstances I became a baby girl. We were in the middle of a war and we were losing badly. So some of us came up with a plan, we had a way to escape the war by temporarily changing our species. They still would have needed someone to raise me. So I guess my brother found a human family and even made them and other people think I was theirs.”

“Does your mum know?” George asked.

“Probably not. Don’t want to tell her either. She’d freak out and probably never want to see me again.”

“Haven met your mum, I find that hard to believe,” Fred replied.

“No really. She was always going on about me being nothing like her and thinking I’m too good for something.  _ ‘Putting on hares,’ _ she’d call it.  _ ‘That school is making you put on hares Rose. That job is making you put on hares Rose. Rose, why won’t you give dating Micky a chance, he isn’t beneath you because he doesn't have magic.’ _ Anything she doesn't understand or fit in her world view is horrible. Anyway give me the  _ ‘Detranceifier’ _ or whatever you call it. I can boost the signal with the TARDIS.”

“Wait, are you saying you’re only dating Mickey because your Mum nagged you into it?” Fred asked, half curious and half incredulous as he handed it over to her. 

He had a right she supposed, she had after all been dating Fred before the war broke out in full. Ever since the Yule ball, while George had been dating Angelina. They parted amicably as friends haven decided they just didn’t feel that way about each other. “Pretty much. It wasn’t horrible but honestly as much as I love Mickey our even you for that matter it’s more like I was dating my brother. Well maybe not my brother, actually remembering having one now.” She shuddered. “But you get the idea. Still Mickey was better than that tosser Jimmy Stone that wouldn’t stop asking me out. Think that’s why I did it really, I wanted to get rid of him. He gave me a bad vibe and I’ve learned to always listen to those. Also I’m no longer dating Mickey.”

Anything else that could have been said about the subject was interrupted by a violent shudder. “What was that?” George asked and headed to the door.

“No wait!” It was too late he had opened the door and stepped out closely followed by his twin. Rose walked out of the TARDIS resignedly onto the Sycorax ship.

“Fred? George? What are you two doing here?”

“That’s kinda my fault Percy. What are you doing here?” Rose asked.

“Rose! He’s with me. Please tell me the Doctor is with you?”

Rose looked to where the voice had come from beside Percy Weasley. “Harriet Jones! Hello. Did you win the election?”

“Landslide majority. The Doctor?” She replied.

“He’s just regenerated. He’s sleeping off the sickness.” Rose answered nonchalantly.

“Well can’t you just wake him up?” Harriet Jones asked incredulously.

“Sorry. If I wake him up from a healing coma too soon it could actually cause more damage and he’d be useless to anyone then. He shouldn’t have long left though since he’s actually in the proper place to rest and heal up for once.”

“Enough!” The Sycorax leader shouted.

“Oh I’m sorry. I haven’t seen my friends here in awhile. So what was it you wanted?”

“You have the technology, you speak for this planet!”

“No Rose, he’s already killed my other advisors. Wait how come I can understand him now?” Harriet asked.

“TARDIS switched me to secondary pilot so her transition circuits are working with everyone here. It’s ok I can deal with this.” She turned around and addressed the Sycorax leader. “Under article fifteen of the shadow proclamation I wish to enter parley under peaceful contract.”

“We do not care about the Shadow Proclamation and all their rules. They won’t even notice this insignificant little planet even exists yet alone come here to enforce the law.”

“Guess it’s the hard way then.” The Wolf started to wander around and the Sycorax tried to whip her and she just caught it and pulled it away and threw it towards Percy who caught it and looked a little panicked. “Watch it. Could put someone’s eye out with that.” She grabbed a staff off of another who approached her and broke it. “You just can’t get the staff.”

The Sycorax muttered something unintelligible amongst themselves, a little taken aback by the turn of events. Rose wandered past their leader and over to the button. “Oh look it’s a great big red button! They’re really bringing out the theatrics here. Hey look there’s some sort of control matrix in here.” She opened up the box on the pedestal the button is on and dipped a finger in the red substance mixed with leaves. It was a sloppy job really, she couldn’t help but think about the conniption Snape would have had if he saw this. “Blood control! They’re using blood control! A positive. Hey Fred, George! Remember that experiment the two of you did with blood control in our Fourth year? That was a mess as well as hilarious.”

She put her hand on the button. “Thing is I can never resist a big red button that should never be pressed!” 

She pressed the button as Harriet Jones shouted out, “No! Rose you just killed them all.”

“What do you think? Are they dead?”

“We allowed them to live.”

“Allowed, Yea right. The thing about blood control like this, it can’t really do more than hypnosis. You can hypnotise someone into walking like a Hippogriff, sing like a banshee, but you can’t hypnotise someone to death. Natural instinct for survival kicks in.”

“Blood control was just one method of conquest. We could still call in the armada.”

“You could do that, or as I stand as champion of this world I challenge you to a duel.”

One of the Sycorax gave her a sword as the leader got his own. “For the planet.”

“For the planet,” Rose agreed as they fought each other. The fight spilled out into an outside observation deck, there was no clear winner, until Rose managed to get in close enough to use her foot to knock the leader over. She put a foot on his sword and held hers at his throat. “Do you swear to leave this planet and never come back?”

“I swear.”

“Good. Well off we go then.”

When she turned around she could see the Doctor had joined them. He was leaning heavily on a wall and had this stupid wide grin on his face. She returns it. “Rose.”

“So I’m still Rose then?”

“No arguments from me,” he replied. “Rose look out!” 

She turned to see the Sycorax leader running at her. Suddenly she leaps forward and in an instant changed from Time Lord form to that of a great big wolf like creature. She was bigger than the average wolf, yet more slender, and had retractable claws like that of a cat. Her coat was a golden brown with brighter yellow highlights which gave her a swirling gold effect on her coat. She landed on the leader, knocking him down, claws dug in deep on his chest as well as managed to bite off his sword arm in the process. She sent out a strong telepathic message that could be heard by everyone on the ship,  _ ‘You are lucky, you cranak pel casacree salvak. I am merciful. When I let you up, you will leave this plant and never come here to scavenge again. When you talk of this planet, it’s people and it’s riches remember that this plant is defended.’ _

Suddenly they all were teleported back to London standing beside the TARDIS. Rose was disoriented for a bit before realising they were in the Powell estate. She shifted back to time lord form and looked around uncomfortably.

She was dragged out of her thoughts when Fred Weasley ran up to her and hugged her briefly, followed shortly by George. Fed exclaimed, “That was the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

“Yea, you were awesome. This planet is defended! When did you become an animagus?”

  
  


“I didn’t, turning into animals is a Gallifreyan racial ability, I turn into a Gallifreyan wolf, or a dahrama as we call them. The Doctor can turn into one too because we grew up in the same area and most of the shifters there were dahramas. While people from around Hearts Heaven turned into a type of smallish wild cat called a caracval. It’s mostly generic what animal form we took, so that made certain forms more prevalent in some areas than others.”

The Doctor approached her beaming and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, and lifted her off of her feet then set her down again, while the both of them laughed the whole time. “You were amazing back there. Looks like they’re leaving. Just like you told them. Normally I’m the one that’s got to sort these things out, kind of nice to get a break for once.”

“Doctor-“

Harriet Jones interrupted before Rose could finish what she was about to say, “Doctor? I don’t understand. Is it like a title handed down or something?”

“No, I’m literally the same man. I was dying and the only way to save my life was to regenerate. That makes me change, new face, new body, new well everything. But I’m still the same man.”

“Really?”

“Harriet Jones, we were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, it wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own.”

“Doctor?”

“Hello.”

The Doctor was about to turn to Rose again to ask something when she asked, “Are there more of them out there?”

“Oh loads. The universe is filled with life. All out there.”

She went to go speak into her radio but Rose stopped her. “Don’t. I know you’re scared but they’re leaving.”

“The Doctor said so himself, there are more of them out there. He’s not always here.” Harriet replied.

“Wasn’t him who saved us this time though was it?” Rose asked.

“No. But you’re not always here either.” The Prime Minister argued back.

“The universe may be watching but there might not be anyone to tell if you blow that ship up. Dead men tell no tales after all. Would you rather they go out and say this planet is protected or have no message at all. Besides they are retreating, it would be murder. Not all aliens are bad, they’re just like people really. Some good, some bad, and everything in between. Start blowing all of them up and you’ll scare away potential valuable trade partners or allies.” Rose argued as well.

Harriet Jones spoke into her radio, “Stand down, let them leave.” She turned to Rose. “I hope for our sake you’re right. How did you know we even had a weapon.”

“I see things before they happen sometimes. Just ask your adviser Percy there. Was famous for it at school. Drove our divination teacher mad to the point I stopped taking her classes to get away from her.”

“So you’re a witch are you?”

“Of sorts. I went to Hogwarts, was in the same year as Fred and George there, as well as the same house as all three Weasleys that are here.”

“You know when I found out about Hogwarts I was horrified to know they make you buy your own textbooks. They were not even getting any government funding. All but the poorest children had to pay for their education. Changed that immediately. You know it might be a boarding school but all schools even private get some funding. Besides it turns out because of magic, paying for each child with a British birth certificate and magical ability to go to Hogwarts is actually cheaper than what we pay for a normal school. We’ve even footed the bill for repair costs. Apparently no Prime Ministers before me ever figured out the Ministry of Magic is still a branch of our government.”

“Wait, Fred and George Weasley? The, Fred and George Weasley?” The Doctor interrupted.

“Yep. We went to school together. That adviser there is also their brother Percy. Fred, George, this is the friend I was talking about earlier.”

“It’s really an honour to meet you. Big fan of your magical inventions,” The Doctor told them. 

He was obviously about to start rambling when there was a loud voice that called out, “Rose! Rose, you’re alright. Where’s the Doctor? Oh my God it’s the bleedin’ Prime Minister.”

“Jackie! Mickey! It’s great to see you.” The Doctor ran up and put an arm around them both. “There’s something I need to say, something important. Oh yes! Merry Christmas!”

“Who’s this? And why has he got a post-it note with round squiggles stuck to his forehead?” Mickey asked Rose indignantly as he shoved the Doctor’s arm off.

The Doctor reached up to his forehead, found the note Rose had stuck there earlier and read it. “Rose why didn’t you tell me there was a post-it note stuck to my forehead. I’ve been wondering about like an idiot with this on me the whole time.”

“Sorry Doctor. I was going to tell you but something kept happening,” She replied.

“You’re not the Doctor, you look nothing like him,” Jackie interrupted.

“No really I am, Jackie. I’m me, I just changed my face, is all.”

“A great deal more than your face if you really are.”

“He is mum. He’s the Doctor. He was dying because he saved me. To stop himself from dying he had to do this thing called regeneration. Only thing is when it happens he changes.” Rose explained. “Saw it happen right in front of me.”

The Doctor was about to add something only to double over and fall down unconscious, a wisp of golden energy floating out of his mouth.

Rose sighed, “Not again.”


	2. Beautiful Mess

It took a while but Rose managed to convince both  _ ‘her mum’ _ and Mickey the Doctor was really the Doctor and explained all about regeneration. She still hasn’t told Jackie about her own changes. She really didn’t know how to start. The Time Lady didn’t know how to feel either, other than confused. She didn’t lie when she told the Doctor she was still Rose Tyler, she got all her memories and emotions after all. Jackie Tyler may not have been her mother biologically, but yet she was still her mother. Her hearts and logic were still in conflict with each other.

The Doctor woke back up when she wafted a cup of tea under his nose, then made him drink it. She didn’t bother with the admonishment she had planned about waking up from healing comas too soon. He was a grown Time Lord who had more experience with regeneration than she had. So by now if he didn’t get what he did wrong there was no way to tell him otherwise. He slept for a bit after the tea at her insistence then went off to change his clothes when he woke up, and came back for them to have Christmas Dinner with Rose, her mum and Mickey.

Fred, George and Percy stayed only long enough to say hello to Rose’s mother, while Harriet Jones left as soon as her car arrived for her. Percy delivered a present from his own mother, who despite their differences became fast friends with Jackie not long after meeting for the first time in Diagon Alley when she and Rose picked up her school things for first year. Molly had badgered Percy into promising to swing around to Jackie’s flat to give it to her when he was called away to go to muggle London, even though because of different circumstances they hadn’t talked since before the wizarding war broke out.

It was late when Rose decided to go for a walk since her mum was asleep. She was headed towards a small nearby park when she noticed a police officer who had been hanging around since they were transported off of the Sycorax ship. Her eyes narrowed, then she recognised him. She let out a low rumbling growl that only another Time Lord could have heard from that distance, which he obviously did because he let out a small yelp and ran for the park. It didn’t help him any as Rose quickly shifted form and went after him on four legs instead of two.

Soon as the Wolf was about to catch him he transformed himself into a midnight black dahrama and booked it into the park to hide. The lighting gave the black wolf the advantage in the shadow of the trees but Rose was way too familiar with this game. She followed his scent, and listened out for the sounds he made while sneaking about in the trees. The Wolf pretended to lose the scent and went off in the wrong direction to lure her prey out in the open. She climbed a nearby tree when she was sure he couldn’t see her and backtracked as she jumped from tree to tree. Sighting her prey she pounced out of the tree and hit the black wolf below. After a short scuffle with the light involvement of teeth and claws, meant for play rather than to hurt, Rose pinned him.  _ ‘Got to do better than that little brother.’ _

_ ‘Little? I’m only five minutes younger than you.’ _

_ ‘Which as your sister I get to lord it over you for the rest of time Narvin. Those are the rules, I don’t make the rules.’ _

_ ‘I’m from a later point in your timeline so technically I am older than you Rose.’ _

_ ‘I’m pretty sure it doesn't work that way, or so Brax keeps telling me’ _ another mental voice nonchalantly added as another dahrama approached. This one’s coat could have been made of flames if one didn’t know better. It was all shades of ginger from the deep red of the grass on Gallifrey to the lightest orange at the tips of his guard hair.

_ ‘Doctor, when have you ever sided with Brax?’ _ Narvin asked.

_ ‘Pretty much never, but that’s one he’s always very adamant about. What are you doing here Narvin?’ _ He replied.

_ ‘Just playing with my litter mate here.’ _ He managed to shove Rose off and sit between the Doctor and his sister protectively, head raised to try and look more dignified. An effect that was somewhat ruined by the fact he now had a lot of dead leaves stuck to his coat.

_ ‘Uh-huh. I heard the two of you fighting all the way from the TARDIS.’ _

_ ‘Men,’  _ Rose huffed as she noticed the two of them posturing as a display of dominance.  _ ‘Doctor, it’s only Narvin we always play like that. He’s not a threat to me. Besides he may be better at stealth, but I’m a better fighter and not above fighting dirty. Narvin, the Doctor isn’t some sort of threat to me. Or my perceived virtue.’ _

_ ‘Not yet he isn’t,’ _ Narvin griped.  _ ‘You know how those men from the houses are with people like us. He’s also got a history of loving and leaving, and usually left with a cat or robot dog.’ _

_ ‘Hey, I didn’t do anything with any of those people,’ _ the Doctor growled. Both Rose and Narvin just stared back disbelievingly.  _ ‘Well ok there was that one time with Benny, but in my defence we were both drunk.’ _ He added more placatingly. When they still wouldn’t stop looking at him like that he went on,  _ ‘Okey fine there was also Charlie but she is the one who left me. I was also young and stupid when I did what I did to get my youngest son. Having his mother abandon him at the chapter house doorstep as a baby and having to raise him by myself, as much as I love him, was a lesson learned.’ _

_ ‘See, great catch you got yourself there Rose.’ _ Narvin mocked.

Rose took a deep breath and counted to ten before letting it out.  _ ‘Look Narvin, I know probably a great deal more about him than he’d be comfortable knowing I know. You were the one who set me on  _ ‘renegade tracking duty’  _ when I started at the CIA. After all, TARDISes are huge gossips. But what I choose to do with the Doctor either in the past, present, or future is between me and him and nothing to do with you. I swear you’d be happy if I’d never left the sisterhood since there’s no men about. Not even thinking about the fact they still have sex with each other just as much. Not to mention the fertility rights we all split up and do once a year all over Gallifrey. Those are just one massive big orgy where so long as you’re not related it doesn't matter who puts what where and into who.’ _

Narvin let out a whimper thanks to the mental image that was created.  _ ‘Need serious brain bleach!’  _ He shook it off and stared down at the Doctor.  _ ‘Yes well if you EVER do anything to hurt my sister—“ _

_ ‘You’re going to kill me, yea I get it and probably will let you.’ _ The Doctor interrupted.

_ ‘Oh no I won’t kill you, that would be too easy. I will show you exactly how I managed to get from a nobody engineer, all the way to the top of the fucking CIA. You don’t get to where I did as a commoner without knowing how to be ruthless and be inventive. Also Romana will not be able to save you from the oncoming wrath no matter what you do. Got it?’ _

_ ‘Yep. Definitely absolutely got it.’ _

_ ‘Men.’ _ Rose rolled her eyes.  _ ‘As sweet as it is, you are doing the protective brother thing, I’m a big girl now and am perfectly capable of dismembering the Doctor piece by piece until he regenerates. Then if he doesn’t regenerate into someone with a clue start all over again. All by myself. So what are you really doing here out of your timeline Narvin? How many people are there, where do we start to look?’ _

_ ‘I really can’t tell you that Rose, you didn’t know where to look when you finally caught up with Brax, although you had found a handful by then. I can tell you Gallifreyans may be an endangered species now, but not a dying one. We still got enough genetic diversity to set up somewhere and rebuild. And that’s all I’m telling you about numbers. I’m not even supposed to be here.’ _

_ ‘If you’re not here to tell us where to start, why are you here?’ _ Rose argued back.

_ ‘Well I heard you got into a sword fight, and well…’ _ when he saw Rose’s eyes start to narrow and lips pull back a bit in the start of a snarl, he quickly transformed back from being a dahrama, reached in his pocket and pulled out a time ring. “So sorry, really have to be going now,” he said before activating the ring and disappearing in front of them.

_ ‘Brothers! Uhrrg.’ _ Rose mentally screamed and hoped somehow her brother could hear it along the timeline no matter how impossible that is.

_ ‘Tell me about it. Got an annoying one of those as well,’ _ the Doctor remarked a little grateful he didn’t come along with Narvin.

_ ‘Narvin is up to something. Sure he can be a protective asshole at times, but he’s far too much a stickler for rules to come here just because I had a sword fight.’ _

_ ‘Isn’t he always up to something?’ _

_ ‘I think you’re mistaking him for your own brother. He’s that bad the CIA wouldn’t even take him because they’re afraid of what he might do. I guess that’s the next step, try and guess where Braxiatel hid himself. Come on, best transform back and go to the TARDIS before someone sees two strange looking wolves in the park and calls the actual police.’ _

_ ‘I could make a few guesses where he’d be, but nothing concrete. He’s as bad as I am when it comes to finding him when he doesn't want to be found.’ _

So they transformed back into what would be mistaken as just another two humans if seen and headed back to the TARDIS.

-x-x-x-

**Luna University, 42nd century**

Bernice Summerfield had just arrived at a bar just off of campus. She’s now been alive for somewhere around three-hundred years and still looks in her thirties….. ok maybe forties but that’s not the point. The point is she’s not ageing after the Epoch incident. She had managed to return to Jason who was alive and well. They were married and had the twins just like how things were supposed to be without Brax’s interference. 

Of course that didn’t mean she managed to get her happily ever after. While Jason who was supposed to be just as stuck without ageing as she was while not in their own timelines started ageing. Her twins, Kieth and Rebecca aged in front of her along with her husband and all three died of old age in their sleep. Peter though, he was alive and well and seemingly eternally the age he was during the whole Epoch incident as well. Both Ruth and Jack aged normally though, so whatever happened to her and Peter hadn’t happened to them.

It made her worry a little about Irving who had just slipped away without a word, because Gallifrey was no longer there. This had also been the case on Legion but something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on was different about it this time. Time Lords where now just whispers of legend, and rumours floated around about a war everyone forgot about.

Then her and Peter both also somehow, somewhere, some way, developed touch telepathy and had fun learning to shield and control, along with the children in preschool of a telepathic race with similar abilities. Her mental abilities had changed too and she could remember things more clearly and think and react quicker. Her magic was stronger. Even reading was something she could do a lot faster, being able to at a push read a novel in a few minutes.

Just when she thought she had a handle on things she ended up in another universe that was dying because of an alternate version of the Doctor. Typical Doctor trying to run away, used her Artron signature because it was  _ ‘rather unique’ _ but by accident brought her there instead. She was kind of surprised to find one of the main differences about that universe was no Brax in it. After making an offhand joke to the Doctor one day about at least being able to trust the Master better than the Doctor’s brother because the Master’s motives are often a lot clearer. The alternate Doctor insisted memory loss or not he never had a brother. She’d asked the Master one time when he wasn’t actually plotting to kill her right away and he claimed that the Doctor didn’t have any siblings. She was one of the few people in this universe that happened to know her version actually had three of them, one older and two younger. Who knew, a universe where things actually turned out worse without Braxiatel and his scheming. 

There was one mystery she may never solve though, how the heck did Toothless Bob get here. This bar was also named the White Rabbit, kind of why she came here for bit of nostalgic value, but this was Earth’s Moon, Luna. Pretty much as far away from Legion as you could get. Bob was no good at explaining it either, he claims to have just woken up here one day. In his perspective the day after getting blind drunk the day she and Irving had left the While Rabbit with  _ ‘the Brimstone Kid’ _ .

A man sat down on the only remaining barstool, between Benny and Bob, saving her from another rendition of the raspberry jelly story. He was a little scruffy looking yet had the appearance of deliberateness in it. It was like he was a perfectionist yet tryed to pull off a  _ ‘devil may care’ _ look at the same time. He had long blond hair, an angular face, with square glasses on a sitting on a pointed nose, and blue eyes. He wore a tan coloured trench coat in a gothic type cut, a green waistcoat over a white shirt, with a red cravat at the top.

“I’m sorry. Were you two talking? One of us could swap seats if you like?” He said in a smooth English accent.

“No, it’s okay!” Benny spoke up quickly before Toothless Bob could say anything.

“You know, I have the strangest feeling I’ve met you both before,” He replied.

“I remember every face I’ve ever saw, and I recon I’ve never saw you before. The name is Toothless Bob, they call me that because my name is Bob and I ain’t got no teeth.”

“ Very charming I’m sure. What about you madam?”

“Actually you do seem really familiar to me too. You wouldn’t happen to be an alien with two hearts would you?” Benny replied. 

He gave a laugh and said, “No, very much human I’m afraid, although you can check my pulse if you like.” He held out his wrist and Benny took it to make sure, but sure enough there was only a single heartbeat. “The name is Miles Richardson, I teach theatre at the university and somehow got roped into coming here and dragging along some of my students with me who can play an instrument to make up tonight’s band. May I have the pleasure of knowing the name of such a beautiful young lady?”

“Beautiful and young. You're too kind Miles,” Benny scoffed. “I’m much older than I look, and what I look like is far from young. I’m Professor Bernice Summerfield, Benny to my friends. I’m a professor of archeology at the university. I’ve published a number of books over the years, perhaps you saw one and that’s where you know me from. Got to admit though for a moment I thought you were a guy who happens to be one of my best friends. Or worst enemies depending on the day really.”

“Well Benny, I can call you Benny can’t I? This friend, come enemy of yours sounds interesting, but alas I am not he. Maybe I knew you in another life then.”

“Interesting doesn’t even cover the half of it,” she replied. “So how did you manage to get roped into playing in the band?”

“I owed the owner and barkeep over there, Marvin, a favour. We’re old friends. Came here together from somewhere in Ireland, although he’s from Mars originally. So may I buy you a drink?”

“You may,” Benny replied. She liked this guy, he was handsome and there was just something about him she couldn’t put her finger on. They continued to talk and flirt with each other for a couple of hours until it was time for him to get up on stage.

He stood on stage with an old twenty first century electric guitar and a ragtag group of students behind him. “I already had this song planned out for tonight and our set list since we pretty much formed this band a week ago. We don’t actually have a name for the band yet.”

“How about  _ ‘The Shit Sandwich’ _ ,” Marvin the bartender or  _ ‘Marvin the Martian’ _ as people kept calling him, heckled from behind the bar and people laughed, including Miles.

“Not something I’m afraid the dean would appreciate on the extra credit notations in my students record. How about  _ ‘The Sandwich’ _ instead.” A few more people laughed this time. “Anyway I don’t know why but I want to sing this, totally from my own perspective to and dedicated to the beautiful women I just met, Professor Bernice Summerfield.”

“You’re just trying to get laid,” Benny called out from where she was sitting, joining in the fun.

“Oh, absolutely! Is it working?” He replied to more laughter.

“We’ll see later,” Benny replied.

“Ok, so here we go, the first debut song of  _ ‘the sandwich’ _ .”

They started playing and instead of being the shit show ever was expecting they were actually really good.

_ Loving me, loving myself _

_ Working on my state of mental health _

_ And I never thought it would go this far _

_ You said we'd just be friends _

_ But I'm standing here full of emptiness, I confess _

_ I'm a beautiful mess _

_ Holding on, I'd do anything _

_ I was wrong, you mean everything to me _

_ And you said too much and you hurt my pride _

_ And what I said was mean _

_ And I'm just as guilty as you are, I guess _

_ What a beautiful mess, yeah yes _

_ What a beautiful mess, yeah _

_ Holding on to the end _

_ Never say never _

_ It's better than being alone _

_ Forever is forever _

_ Holding on to my friend _

_ Never say never _

_ It's better than being alone _

_ Letting go of the things we said _

_ I don't know what was running through our heads _

_ All the time we spent away from us _

_ Try to avoid the scene _

_ But it took its toll, left our friends unimpressed _

_ We're a beautiful mess, yeah yes _

_ We're a beautiful mess, yeah _

_ Holding on to the end _

_ Never say never _

_ It's better than being alone _

_ Forever is forever _

_ Holding on to my friend _

_ Never say never _

_ It's better than being alone _

_ Never say never again _

_ Forever is forever, my friend _

_ Never say never again _

_ Forever is forever _

_ (Never say never again) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Beautiful Mess by Left on Laurel https://youtu.be/3VaEvZFZM7U


	3. To Hogwarts

The TARDIS materialised at The Burrow in the front garden on Boxing Day haven made their escape for the Tyler flat. The Doctor and Rose walked out and shut the door behind them. 

“Are you sure he’s here?” The Doctor asked excitedly. 

“Yes, Fred and George told me he’s living here at the moment until Hogwarts reopens next September. He’s going to be going back to finish his NEUWTs since he spent seventh year traipsing all over the country looking for horcruxes and avoiding Voldemort. Also don’t act like an over excited fan boy, sure he’s used to it by now but Harry hates it.”

“I know, but it’s Harry Potter. I remember reading the books as a kid along with you, Narvin and Koschei in the Killoran Blood Rose section of the park, all four of us hiding from our parents.”

“Was much better than the stuffy old textbooks we were supposed to be reading at least. Haven lived through some of it, Reta really did outdo herself in the dramatics department. I’m just glad to have been innocuous enough to never make it in them.”

“You mean there wasn’t a troll in the corridor that tried to take out the girls toilets on Halloween?”

“Well yes there was and Hermione could have gotten hurt but—“

“What about fluffy?”

“Unless your Snape, fluffy really is just a typical Hadeian Cerberus. Looks mean, has three heads, and sleeps to music, but is about as harmless as they come. Just wants to play all the time and get belly rubs. Just don’t play fetch then all three heads will fight each other to get the ball.”

“What about the Basilisk, and Tom Riddle possessing Ginny?”

“Yes, but not too loud it’s a sensitive subject around here.”

“The whole thing with Scabbers?”

“Yes ok. That happened as well, and Sirius Black decided to be a rampaging idiot determined to commit the murder he was imprisoned for in the first place. Look I know it all sounds bad when said out loud like that but it just didn’t seem as bad somehow when living through it. Look just act like normal when we’re talking to Harry okay? No, no, no, no, on second thought don’t act like normal! Act like someone who has manners and isn’t going to be chased out of the house by Molly with a wooden spoon because he stuck his fingers in the jam jar.”

“Me stick my fingers in the jam jar? I’d never do something so obnoxious. Unless it’s marmalade. Love marmalade, then it’s difficult to wait long enough to get a spoon.”

Rose just rolled her eyes and headed towards the door and knocked. The door flew open and she was engulfed in the exuberantly affectionate arms of Molly Weasley.

“Oh Rose! You’re alive! Fred, George, and Percy came back sputtering nonsense about you being alive, aliens, spaceships and a sword fight. It’s good to know they were telling the truth about the alive part.”

“But mum, it’s all true!” Percy insisted, “When have you ever known me to just go along with Fred and George and their pranks?”

“But aliens? Don’t be daft Percy. Fred and George had to have put you up to it. Although why you’re continuing to defend them while they’re not here I’ll never know.”

“It’s all very true. Rose was amazing. I was asleep for most of it I’m afraid. I’m the Doctor by the way.”

“Call me Molly everyone does.” Mrs Weasley replied.

“Well Molly, if you don’t believe Rose is actually an alien, well she’s been unable to breathe for a while now. Not so bad for our species, we can usually last an average of about a half hour without breathing.” The Doctor informed her.

Molly remembered herself and let go of the death grip she had on Rose. “I’m sorry dear, are you okay?”

“I’m fine Mrs Weasley. Like he said, we can go a lot longer than that. Is Harry here? I heard he was staying with you and he had been looking for me.”

“Harry’s out the back, he’s been helping Arthur with his muggle item collection. He’d be glad to see you alive and well, go on out there dear.”

“Thank you Mrs Weasley.”

“It’s Molly dear. You’re not a child anymore.”

“Thanks Molly,” Rose corrected and dragged the Doctor with her to stop him from gaping at the house, it was just as described in the books and she didn’t need him going on an inconvenient fanboy rant. They got out the back and headed towards where Harry was conveniently describing what a toaster is to Mr Weasley.

“It’s a really nice toaster too!” The Doctor exclaimed and picked the toaster out of a bewildered Harry Potter’s hands. “Did you know the first electric toaster was invented in 1905, the year Albert Marsh developed the Nichrome wire, making the electric toaster possible. The first toaster was named ‘El Tosto.’ It was a bit of a nightmare to use compared to modern toasters but it worked. The first modern day, fully automated pop up toaster was invented in 1926, it was called the Toastmaster One-A-One. Of course the toaster did not really take off until after 1933, when sliced bread was invented. This appears to be a more modern Ariete AR5514 Vintage 2-Slice Toaster made to look like a toaster from the 1950s.”

“Sorry about him. That’s the Doctor. He could go on about toasters all day. He and his brother collect them and it’s gotten rather out of hand, with the two of them always trying to outdo each other. But at least the toaster rant should somewhat convince you he’s not somehow Barty Crouch Junior, after all he does somewhat look like him.” Rose explained to Harry. Arthur however acted like he had just found his new best friend as the Doctor continued to explain things about how toasters and then electricity worked.

“At least it looks like I get out of helping sort out the shed. Looks like your friend is going to do it all for me,” Harry replied wryly.

“Knowing the both of them, they could be in there a while,” Rose agreed as she watched the Doctor follow Mr Weasley into the shed.

“So you really are okay then?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just went travelling with the Doctor and well, time machine. Twelve months, not twelve hours. He can be a terrible driver sometimes.”

“Fred, George and Percy are telling the truth then about you being an alien hidden as a human and a sword fight on a spaceship.” Harry stated like he was stating two plus two is four.

“Yea. I don’t actually have to convince you?”

“Not really, my life is so weird sometimes, why not one of my friends being actually a time travelling alien. At this point it makes perfect sense. I’m just glad it wasn’t me that had to have a sword fight this time,” Harry explained. “So can you really turn into a giant wolf?”

“Out of everything that’s what you ask? It’s not that different to animagi after all. Just it’s something we can all do. Know a guy who could turn into a golden lion with wings. A couple of my best friends who have been married to each other for hundreds of years, Ross and Naomi, could turn into these deer-like creatures only they look like female deers on earth, even the males. Biggest difference is they’re savanna creatures and the grass in our home world was red so they’re coat is a red colour with light orange spots instead of white. A golden coloured wolf is nothing compared to them.”

“Maybe. But Fred and George couldn’t stop talking about it.”

Rose sighed and shifted form for Harry to see. She stood as tall as Harry’s while on all four of her legs.  _ ‘Happy?’ _

“You can also use telepathy like they said as well.”

_ ‘Yes well I could also speak to you in Dahrama but I doubt you’d be able to understand me. So ergo I use telepathy when in this form. Unless I’m talking to my twin brother. Picked one of those up after becoming time lord again. There is some of the best curse words to call people in that language that just don’t translate properly into any other language.’  _ Rose changed back to human again and sat on a garden bench. “Harry, I need to ask you for some help.”

“Help with what?” Harry asked, a little intrigued.

“I need to borrow your invisibility cloak. I’ll bring it right back I swear. It’s just I’m going to have to come uncomfortably close to crossing my own timeline. I’m sure you remember you can’t meet yourself when time travelling.”

“Why? What are you doing Rose?”

“I need to go back and talk to Dumbledore. You see when I became Rose Tyler it was because of an accident with a time machine we call a TARDIS, or if you're boring just a time capsule. We had six pilots in that TARDIS all of us got turned into babies. Not really knowing what to do we had our biology rewritten and our memories stored in a container that if opened we would change back and remember everything. With me so far?” Rose asked.

“And what, you were placed with different parents here and there to raise you?”

“Yes. Most of the time the families no doubt were none the wiser.”

“So what has this got to do with Dumbledore?”

“Well you see, the phoenix is actually native to Gallifrey, although there are quite a few that made it here to Earth. It’s just I recognise Faulks he was the familiar of the oldest member of my crew, who also has been known to meddle with Hogwarts even as a Time Lord. We would have all been placed at different times, but probably not so far away from each other we’d not be able to find each other. He might be able to figure out who the others are because they probably all or at least most, went to Hogwarts.”

“Fine I’ll lend you the cloak, but on one condition.”

“What?” Rose asked Harry.

“You take me with you. I’ve things I need to say to him.”

“Alright. Maybe we’ll get lucky and land in the summer, but otherwise keep the cloak on along with me because we can’t be seen.”

“Fine.”

-x-x-x-

**Six hours later…**

“So Harry, you’ve decided to come with us for a quick trip to the past then?” The Doctor asked as Harry looked around the control room of the TARDIS, while the Doctor ate a huge slab of the banana cake that Molly insisted on baking for him. She heard it was one of his favourites from Rose while he was having way too much fun with Arthur in the shed. He spent most of the time he was there happily explaining objects, their history, and how they worked to a delighted Mr Weasley.

“Yes, I have unfinished business I need to talk to Dumbledore about. Don’t worry. I know. Rose explained about not doing anything to change my timeline. I just got some complaints I need to get off my chest.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Some complaints? Only some?”

“Well I did get a lot of it off of my chest at the end of fifth year. Quite dramatically considering how badly I damaged his office. Not one of my greatest moments.”

“Yes well you were only a teenager, and had a lot to complain about I’m sure,” The Doctor reassured Harry. “I know you wanted to go see your friend Rose, but why can't we just go by the Letaliter Sanctio magical bizarre by the great river on Nocte Three to pick up another invisibility cloak I’ve got no idea.”

“I can’t go to Nocte Three. They have my bio signatures so it doesn't matter that I’ve regenerated since then,” Rose complained.

“What? Why not?” The Doctor asked.

“Had an assignment to stop something from happening there. The Master was involved. Even though I was the one that stopped him I got blamed as well by the authorities. Narvin wasn’t willing to pay for a decent lawyer so I got out of dodge before the court date. On the advice from the lawyer he did send me.”

“Wait. What kind of lawyer tells you to leave the planet before a court date?” Harry couldn’t help asking as he examined one of the coral struts.

“A Kadeptian one. Some guy named Jack McSpringheel, that his brother.” she pointed at the Doctor. “recommended and had under his employ at some point in his time stream as a bartender in Legion City of all places, so therefore could get cheap. The lawyer got me out of jail on bail, the Master extradited back to Gallifrey, and as soon as I made bail got us both to make a run for my TARDIS and leave.”

“They didn’t demand your return from the council?” The Doctor was curious now.

“They tried, but you know what they’re like in the Nocte system. They really don’t make the best politicians, they’re very good at making powerful magic artefacts but terrible at politics. They stood no chance against even one of the lower councils on Gallifrey yet alone the high council. After all on Gallifrey they’ve made an art form out of politics, backroom dealing, and getting away with things. Before they knew what hit them they were agreeing that they would drop all charges on the condition I never go back there.” Rose replied as she finished helping the Doctor input the flight controls. “Honestly I felt a little sorry for them. Also glad that I was given the choice of the Patrexean and Cerulean academies in account of our father and mother belonging to those chapters respectively, and not made to go to our sponsor’s one. Me and Narvin would make terrible politicians.”

“Chapters?” Harry asked as he made his way over to the console to get a closer look at the central column.

“Much like houses at Hogwarts, only there’s more of them and it’s much more drawn over family bloodlines rather than personality traits. Also what chapter you’re pretty much born into your stuck in even when you don’t fit in. Getting permission to change your chapter is very rare and only people like Rose and her brother who have parents from two different chapters ever really get a choice, and even then it’s between those two,” The Doctor answered hiding his bitterness deep down that he never had a choice. Him and his siblings all pretty much didn’t fit in, although Brax could make a good show of pretending he did. The two brothers were a lot more alike than they pretended to be.

“I’m in Patrex along with my brother, we’re supposed to be the artistic types. In reality very few have much imagination and if they do they get it squashed by very rigid views of constitutes art at the academy. My brother can paint if he wants to for example but his hearts isn’t really in it. He loves sculpting instead but the instructors always said it was foolishness because that was the job of nano-assemblers. I actually do like painting as well as music, two acceptable forms of art. Well so long as you don’t make that racket I’d make otherwise known as Rock ‘n’ Roll. My brother formed a band with me and other like minded students while I started sculpting. We did it to be in solidarity with each other.”

“You know, I could see you in a rock band, but Narvin? Really?” He started hitting switches and turning dials on the console in tandem with Rose, who surreptitiously undid mistakes he made when not looking. “Better hold on Harry, this is gonna be a rough one thanks to all the psionic energy in the vicinity of Hogwarts, also why we can’t guarantee when we’ll end up landing. It causes a lot of interference.”

The TARDIS shook violently as the central column started moving. The Doctor and Rose ran around pressing things, flipping switches, and turning dials. They started yelling out instructions to Harry of things for him to do on the console and he took to it like a duck to water, as he braced himself as best he could yet started laughing. He hadn’t had a thrill like this since playing quidditch. 

They landed and all fell over with a thump. Rose and the Doctor got up first laughing, and Rose helped Harry get up. “That was a fun one.” She turned towards the Doctor. “We named our band  _ ‘the sculptors’ _ , I played lead guitar, and Narvin was on the drums. People tend to believe the straight laced image he’s cultivated and for the most part it’s true. Just remember he didn’t get to where he was by being that way, he got plenty of repressed rebel inside there.” Rose looked at the monitor to see when they were. “Hogwarts, during what should be the summer holidays between your fifth and sixth year, Harry. We should be fine, since we seem to have hit when we were aiming for, better have the cloak ready just in case though.”

The three of them left the TARDIS to find themselves next to the stone Gargoyle leading to Dumbledore’s office. “Any idea what the password is?” The Doctor asked, scratching his head.

“Usually some sort of sweet. I’ve guessed it before a few times,” Harry replied as he looked around in awe. None of the damage that was in his version of Hogwarts after the battle was there. “We’ve really gone back in time two and a half years.”

“That’s nothing, just a short hop really. Maybe we can get to show you something truly amazing soon as we’re done here,” The Doctor boasted.

_ ‘You’re you again I see.’ _ Rose heard in her mind and perked up. It sounded like a TARDIS but wasn’t.

_ ‘Who are you?’ _ She sent back to it.

_ ‘They call me Hogwarts, I’ve watched this form you’re in grow but I was unable to reach you then. Part of you seemed to be elsewhere.’ _

_ ‘Wait, you’re the school? Well of course you are. You’re an eleven dimensional being, not much different to the Gallifreyan houses.’ _

_ ‘One of my creators, the one who gave me sentience is here too, he appears to be in a similar state to what you were. As well as one other, he’s like you where too.’ _

_ ‘Yes well he was from a house of coral growers. It doesn't surprise me now I think about it that he used some in your construction. I don’t suppose you could let me into his office? I’m here to help.’ _

_ ‘Please help, he may die for real this time. The prydonian is doing his best but I doubt it will last.’ _

The Gargoyle jumped out of the way mid guess as the Doctor and Harry shouted out random names of sweets at it. “What?” The Doctor asked.

“I asked Hogwarts to let us in. It’s very worried about Godric and agreed readily.”

“You asked Hogwarts? Godric?” Harry couldn’t help but ask. 

“Turns out Hogwarts is sentient. Not surprising really. I got this gift for talking to eleventh dimensional beings. So does Godric and who I suspect to be Ross, or Rossadelaser. At least that’s their real names anyway. Or what they normally go by at least. Names are complicated things on Gallifrey,” Rose replied. “Hogwarts said the Prydonian so I assume it’s Ross, and not your son Doctor, because his patronus would be mistaken for a wolf not a doe.”

“For a Cerulean Godric Gryffindor always was an interfering old coot. It really doesn’t surprise me he turned out to be Dumbledore,” the Doctor added as they started going up the spiral staircase. Refusing to show his disappointment they most likely haven’t found his youngest.

“Wait…. Godric Gryffindor… as in the founder Godric Gryffindor?” Harry asked as he paused for a moment.

“Yes. He’s a Time Lord who actually replaced the original because the Daleks killed the original, back in the first shots across the bow of the Time War. He’s been coming and going in various guises over the years to watch over the school,” Rose answered as he encouraged Harry to move forward again.

Petty soon they got to the top of the stairs where Snape had just finished having the argument he’d given Harry the memories of back in the Shrieking Shack. They walked into the office and Rose winced looking at Dumbledore’s arm.

“Mr Potter, Ms Tyler what are you doing here and is that Barty Crouch Jr?” Snape asked incredulously.

“Oi, why does everyone keep saying that? I really don’t see the resemblance. I’m the Doctor.”

“The Doctor? Doctor who exactly?” Snape asked but the name was a familiar buzz in his head.

“Just the Doctor thanks. You know me, we’re even distantly related like pretty much everyone in the Prydonian Chapter,” the Doctor replied nonchalant and not in the slightest bothered by Snape’s scowl. “You even were in the same year at the academy as my older brother, Bax. Irving Braxiatel? The icicle? Remember him? No. Gosh they really did do a good job programming you to be Severus Snape. Rossadelaser is a little dramatic at times but not so broody and petty. I guess I’d be broody and petty if I was made human along with my bond mate and chased her away to another man by having a bad attitude and refusing to get over that teenage petty behaviour. Oh yes you had an abusive father as a human child, and I’ll grant you that’s a pretty good reason to act up. But you’re what? In your forties and still holding a grudge against an innocent child? Really?”

Snape actually punched the Doctor in the face. “I love that boy like he’s my own! I just can’t show that because of the old ballasted meddler over there!” He pointed to Dumbledore who was looking on in a mixture of awe and confusion at the way things have suddenly turned. “My head! It hurts! What did you do?!”

“Noting, ust ump arted the Time Lord art of you. You’re remembering. I tink you broke tny dose.” The Doctor replied.

“You kind of deserved it,” Rose admonished him, helped him reset it which hurt a bunch and stood back. “You probably should fix that.” She turned to the man holding his head in fiery agony. “The watch. The one that’s glowing in your pocket, open it.”

“But, he was just a dream. I dreamed I was another man, who had the love of his life by his side… it was made up. I made it up to help get through the darkness.”

The Doctor stopped fussing and used some of his energy to heal his nose back to its preborken state. “No. I’m afraid Severus Snape is the dream. I’m guessing you and Naomi replaced the original Lily and Severus just like Godric there did with the original founder of Hogwarts as well as probably Albus Dumbledore. The Daleks was very adamant about messing with Hogwarts and particularly Harry. Totally changing events. All three of you were CIA after all. Blimey was there anyone on your crew who wasn’t CIA Rose?”

“Zaidin. But other than him no not really. I mean it takes a curtain type of person to do what we were doing. Typically those people either end up as renegades or recruited by the CIA.” Rose looked towards Snape. “Ross, damn it open the watch before the safety triggers and opens it up for you. It will only hurt worse the longer you wait.”

“Don’t call me Ross,” he snapped out before he opened the watch and was engulfed in golden energy causing him to fall to the floor writhing in pain before going unconscious.

“Doctor?” Rose asked with baited breath as he stood by the newly changed back man.

“He’s got a steady pulse in both hearts, he should wake up soon.”

She let out a relieved breath. “Was it really necessary to enrage his true self enough to make him start to change back like that?”

“He’s lost his bond mate. You know they weren’t just married but bonded. Have been for a good eight hundred years. That part of him was desperately hiding because he didn’t want to live without her. There was no way just talking to him and asking nicely was going to work,” the Doctor replied.

“Yea but, was it the right thing to do? They were both my friends. Rossadelaser was the one who took me under his wing and trained me after Narvin talked me into joining him in the CIA. He loved her so much, and so fully, it seems almost cruel to wake him.”

“What are the two of you talking about?” Harry started, “Back in the Shrieking Shack before I went to face Voldemort and Snape lay dying from Nagini’s poison. He gave me a memory to show me… How he had grown up with my mother and loved her. Always loved her and he had hurt her. It’s why he’s done everything he’s done to stop Voldemort. He also showed me the memory of the argument he just had with you. It’s ultimately why I forgave Snape for everything. He was played as badly as I’ve been.”

Harry turned and glared daggers at the old man. “That was your plan all along?! To sacrifice me! All the things I went through at this school, you could have prevented! You must have what? Thought it was good sport and training? All the time making me think that you actually cared about me!”

“Harry my boy—“

“Don’t my boy me! I wasn’t your boy! I was your tool! Just like the man laying down unconscious over there. You know what the worst of it is? The worst part of all of it? I actually agree with it because there really wasn’t another way. Rose told me she could go back or forwards in time. That I can come here with her so long as I don’t change the course of events or I’d break the universe or something. I just needed to get all that off my chest before you die.”

“I’m sorry Harry.” Dumbledore slumped down onto his chair looking tired and defeated. “For what it’s worth, I wish it didn’t have to be that way either. That your parents were alive and well and that you didn’t have to go through any of it. I don’t have long left do I?” He looked at his cursed arm.

“Only until the end of the next school year,” Harry replied as he slumped down onto one of the visitors' chairs on the other side of Dumbledore’s desk, the anger gone.

“Actually by the state of that curse I’d say you only have, maybe two hours. Then there will be a great big paradox, since both Harry and myself remember you dying a lot later than that,” Rose corrected.

“Which is why, we’re not going to have to play dirty because you’re going to open the watch yourself willingly, because it’s the only way to save yourself at this point,” the Doctor added.

“I still have no idea what you two are going on about. What watch? What’s that got to do with anything?” Dumbledore asked. “Also what did you do to Severus?”

“Just made him wake up is all, and it’s your turn. You’re really a Time Lord at least twice my age, and I’m much older than I look. You’re from the planet Gallifrey. I think you dream of it sometimes. Red grass and orange sky with twin suns in the sky,” Rose commented. “If you do so voluntarily it shouldn’t be as bad as his because he was fighting it. The watch is right there on your desk. You always have it nearby yet never notice it.”

“This? This Miss Tyler is just an old watch, it doesn’t even work.”

“Then why not open it?” The Doctor asked this time.

Rossadelaser, formally known, much to his chagrin, as Severus Snape, made it known he’s awake. “Just do it Godric. She’s right, it’s the only way and we still have parts to play.” He looked to Rose. “I don’t care if my animal form is a prey animal compared to you predators. Rose when I find your brother I’m going to rip him to shreds. He programmed the chameleon arch and personality so well. Also when I’m done I’m going to find Reta Skeeter and squish that bug.”

“You know it had to be done to keep the web of time together,” Rose replied. “Don’t mean we have to like it, but you know as well as I do how important it is that Harry was born and that he kills Voldemort, to earth and heck by proxy the whole Galaxy’s history. That Reta Skeeter writes the books about everything that happens. That’s a major breakthrough that helps reunite the muggle and wizarding world, together with changes Harriet Jones will make that will revolutionise the education system in the magical world. She’ll make it so the government pays for any child with magical ability and a proper British birth certificate to go to Hogwarts. More muggle born children than ever will start coming, and even old blood families will start registering their kids' births out of self interest. They will gradually start to integrate and fresh new ideas will start to form.”

“Yes I know. A new golden age, and a very important one for their history. I’d say it’s what my wife, my bond mate of eight hundred years, Naomi sacrificed herself for. But we all know she did it for her son. Even if she was still herself at the time and not Lily Potter she’d still have done it.”

He stormed up to the old man who was looking at the watch like he had seen it for the first time and placed a protective hand on Harry. They watched as Dumbledore opened the watch and was encased in a golden light that soon dissipated after much strangled crying. When it was clear the time lord was back in charge and changed back from being human by the sudden weight of even more years in his eyes Ross spoke, “We have our parts to play. And I will play along out of necessity. But as soon as my part is over that’s it. I won’t let you or anyone else play games with Harry’s life. He may not be mine by blood, but he is the son of my bond mate. I invoke my right to claim him as mine by adoption. I will not further spit on her memory by degrading and insulting or allowing into danger what she died for.”

“That’s your right Rossadelaser, and he doesn’t actually have to do anything dangerous after Voldemort’s defeat,” the newly awakened Godric replied.

“I still don’t get what you’re both going on about,” Harry stated.

“Your mother, Lilly. She was like us.” Rossadelaser explained, “An alien in disguise. Before she got accidentally turned into a baby her name was Naomiherrajurritssavanamas. Quite a mouthful I know, most Gallifreyan public names are unless they change them later like the Doctor and Godric both have. Everyone called her Naomi. We had been together since we met eight hundred years ago. You had two half siblings, or still could. It really depends if they made it out like we did, and I hope they have. There was a war. A very terrible war. One far worse than Riddle could ever dream of. We all escaped by not being Time Lords when the time lock that locked away the war to save the entire universe from destruction went up. I take it by how empty everything feels you had no choice but to stop them Doctor?”

“I’m sorry, if there was another way I would have done it.”

“This talk is all crazy. My mother was human. I was forced to stay with my aunt all those years because of my mother's blood running in my aunt and protecting me,” Harry interrupted.

“Yes well. Probably a good thing all the other protections we put in place worked. We got that one wrong, but really how were our human selves to know?” Godric replied.

“How do you know for sure she was really this other person?!” Harry was getting angry again.

“My soul will always recognise hers. It doesn’t matter if we were both human. Also her patronus was her animal form. Very easy to mistake as a earth doe,” Ross tried to explain.

“How do I know any of this is real?” Harry just continued. “I mean this whole regeneration thing sounds stupid and unbelievable anyway!”

“Perhaps, seeing is believing,” Godric replied. He held up his cursed arm which was flickering in golden light. “You all probably should stand well back because this is going to be a rather explosive one.”

“How are you going to play the part of Dumbledore if you regenerate?” Ross asked worriedly.

“Probably use a shimmer. People might detect if I use magic to alter my appearance but no one will be looking for alien technology. Sorry Rossadelaser but Rose was right. There really isn’t another way to do this. Riddle had to find the one curse to attach to that blasted ring that is also deadly to Time Lords. Even the killing curse doesn’t work on us. Besides if Rose, a former member of the Pythia who knows secrets of magical healing we could only dream about can’t fix this without me regenerating there is little else to do.”

“Nothing I can do without using the Elixir I’m afraid, and I don’t have any. Could probably symphysis something similar using the Philosopher's stone, but that would take months,” Rose replied sombrely.

“The Elixir isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, I had to take it twice. First time to resurrect me for twelve minutes, the second to control a regeneration before I died again,” the Doctor added.

“Twelve minutes? Who told you something stupid like that?” Rose asked.

“Ohila?”

Rose sighed. “This was right before you actually got involved in the war wasn’t it?” When the Doctor just nodded in response, Rose actually face palmed for a moment groaning into her hand. “You were played.”

“Wait what?” The Doctor asked as he got as far away from Godric as possible along with Rose, and Rossadelaser dragged Harry away with him to the far side of the room.

“The Elixir of Life from the sacred flame on Karn doesn’t work that way. It would either bring you back to life fully, or not at all. Don’t ask me why Ohila wanted you to regenerate and for what reason, I don’t know. It is true they can use it to make a potion that will control a regeneration, it’s how they make sure everyone regenerates into a female when it’s time. I just had an accident that made me regenerate too soon to take it and ended up male so I left. But if you hadn’t drank the potion they no doubt tricked you into drinking in some dramatic fashion knowing Ohila, you would’ve been fine,” Rose explained while ducking behind a large object.

Then the only thing that you could describe it as was that golden light exploded out of the Time Lord who was once Albus Dumbledore and he started to change in front of their eyes. His long beard grew in reverse and disappeared into his chin, his facial structure itself started to change, his hair grew shorter, but he was still the same height and build. When the golden energy dissipated the office was in shambles and Faulks was glaring down at Godric from the rafters, looking a little singed, his perch totally decimated.

“I’m sorry Faulks. I really didn’t have any control,” the new man said to his familiar as he examined his now flawless skin on his arm. He was handsome, with a strong jawline and cheekbones, green eyes that still twinkled just like his blue ones could, and deep auburn coloured hair. “I was just concentrating on staying the same height and build so it would be easier to use a shimmer. Glad that actually worked since my old clothes still fit.”

“What? What just happened?” Harry asked, a little shocked.

“What we were telling you about. Regeneration. We don’t normally have much control over it, it’s actually a minor miracle he’s the same size and build like he wanted,” Ross answered for him. “It’s something a Time Lord does to cheat death, but it makes us look like a whole new person. The soul inside though is always the same. Our animal forms much like a patronus reflects that, which is why our forms stay the same for the most part. There is a genetic component to it as well making it likely to have the same form as our parents, but sometimes something odd will crop up from mutated or recessive genes. I had an uncle who was a teleshrew, among a house filled with fiannabaineann.”

“I actually have two animal forms because of my bond with Faulks. Phoenix and a golden gryphon which the house I founded was named after,” Godric remarked as he started to look at himself in a mirror he just repaired.

“It’s one thing to kind of accept I was an alien earlier, it’s another to actually be confronted with it. For what it’s worth I didn’t know your mother was one of us before we came here, or Snape,” Rose said as she walked up to a startled and still trying to accept it all Harry.

“You’re really Dumbledore, who was actually Godric Gryffindor and a Time Lord disguised as a human. My mother was also one of you disguised as a human, and before that was married to Snape, who is also really a disguised Time Lord. Great. Now my life has gone from being a fantasy novel, to a soap opera,” Harry bemoaned. 

“Or really bad fan fiction,” Rose added.

“Not helping,” Harry shot back. “What does that make me?”

“Most likely human with a tiny bit of gallifreyan mixed in. There’s always some gallifreyan still present on the genetic level after using the chameleon arch. Would have to do a scan in the TARDIS to find out for sure,” the Doctor answered. “Probably just meansggv you’ll live a little longer, better immune system, can survive on less food and water, and your magic is stronger.”

“OK I can see the immune thing because I rarely get sick, even the bit about surviving on less food and water since Uncle Vernon would make sure I got little, especially when I was locked in the cupboard. Even Aunt Petunia thought he went overboard on that and would sneak me extra when he was away. But is my magic stronger? Hardly. I mean Hermione could do things much better than me.”

“Skill does not always equate to power. Although Hermione is an incredibly powerful and talented witch, if you're measuring up to what she can do no wonder you think you’re not powerful,” Ross told him. “Also, don’t tell her I said that. There is nothing she can do that you can’t. You just didn’t apply yourself is all. When it mattered to you, you could do amazing feats of magic. I’ve never heard of a third year managing to make a fully corporal patronus. Then you went on to teach all your friends how in fifth year. No you definitely are very capable.”

“How did you know about that?” Harry couldn’t help asking.

“I know a lot of things that go on in this castle. Including a lot of what you and your friends got up to. I only stepped in if you seemed likely to hurt yourself or someone else, or to keep you on your toes every now and again,” Ross replied. “Had you ever been diagnosed with a learning disability when in the muggle school system?”

“No… I don’t think they would have even bothered looking to be honest. I’m fine though.”

“Of course you are Harry. It’s just I suspect you might have an attention deficiency disorder. You may not have been as bad as Longbottom but you always seemed to have problems concentrating for long periods of time in my class. We should probably get it checked out when our timelines match up again.”

“But—“

“I may be wrong, but if I’m not it’s not something to be ashamed of. It doesn’t mean you’re stupid or any of the other stigmas attached to it in this time period. It just means you think differently which can be a good thing,” Ross interrupted.

“I’ve got the Gallifreyan equivalent of ADHD, and a mild Aspergers. I did ok. My brother has Aspergers equivalent worse than me but less ADHD and he managed to get high up in the government of our people before the war,” The Doctor uncharacteristically divulged as he helped Godric put the room back in order. “So, I need to go find a shimmer for you in my TARDIS?”

“Yes preferably before Minerva comes along and finds us all in here, my office still in shambles, and me in Dumbledore’s clothes. That would take a lot of explaining,” Godric answered.

Ross actually let out a snort of laughter. “You know, it would almost be worth it just to see her reaction.”

“Before we go get you sorted out, Godric, I have to ask. Is there anyone else you saw go through Hogwarts that could also be one of us.”

“Other than Lilly, Severus, and yourself, no one. Well except Hermione Granger, but alas she’s just a talented human witch. I asked Hogwarts, she doesn’t remember there being any others like us.

x-x-x-x-x

It took them a few hours but eventually they got Godric a shimmer. A shimmer is a device you wear, then it projects a hologram over the top if you so you look like someone else. The two other Time Lords also looked around the TARDIS for other technology that will work despite all the radiant psionic energy, and help them pull off their plan to keep the timelines straight but also fake their deaths.

The Doctor couldn’t resist showing off to Harry though. First they went to New Earth where Harry ended up getting taken over by Cassandra, the living trampoline for a while, and they ended up saving a whole new species of humans from being experimented on by cat nuns. Next the Doctor tried to take them to see an Ian Dury concert, but ended up in Scotland during the nineteen century and met Queen Victoria. The Queen got herself in a spot of trouble with an alien werewolf, which Rose thought off, tooth and claw in her dahrama form, until it drowned in moonlight. The three of them got knighted by the Queen and subsequently banished right after.

They finally arrived back at the Weasley’s House, two weeks, not two hours later. Harry got a scolding from Mrs Weasley who had long since accepted him as one of her own, then so did the Doctor for being late. Rose just sat back and watched saying in a sing-song voice that she wasn’t the one to pilot the TARDIS, nope the Doctor had insisted he could do it himself without her help.

There was the distinct noise of another time capsule as it materialised and a large tree which was not previously there was beside the Doctor’s TARDIS. A door opened in the trunk and two familiar figures walked out and knocked on the door. Mrs Weasley opened the door and not recognising them just politely asked, “Yes can I help you?”

“Oh it’s great to see you again Molly. I’m also glad everyone in your family made it out of the war intact,” Godric exclaimed, Faulks sitting on his shoulder.

“Do I know you?” Mrs Weasley asked, confused.

“You’ve regenerated Albus you idiot,” Rossadelaser explained.

“Yes but you haven’t. I guess a haircut and a dye job really did work Severus,” the other man replied a little shocked. Rossadelaser had cut and styled his hair short with a number three razor around the sides of his head and scissored at the top, with some strands spiked up a bit, but no longer looking greasy and was now a mousey brown colour.

“Wait.” Molly took a closer look. “Severus Snape? What have you done to your hair and you’ve got some nerve coming here. I don’t care if you had worked out some stupid plot with Dumbledore, you still killed him.”

“I’m right here Molly, and very much not dead. I just regenerated is all. I’m sorry I had to fake my death for events to play out the way they where supposed to.”

“Albus?” Molly asked a little incredulously.

“When you were a little girl and just started Hogwarts, you told me you missed being at home after I found you hiding and crying in an alcove. I told you that it was ok to miss your home, and I missed my own home as well.”

“Albus Dumbledore! How could you just leave us like that and pretend to be dead! After everything we all went through, and especially everything Harry, Ron and Hermione went through!”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I really didn’t have much choice. I still helped out when I could, just had to be less noticeable. Severus please tell her I didn’t have a choice.”

“No he really didn’t, and stop calling me Severus. Just because you decided you were attached to your human name and decided to keep it doesn’t mean I want anything to do with mine. I’m going back to my gallifreyan public name thanks.”

“Sorry Ross,” Albus replied with a glint in his eye.

“It’s Rossadelaser, not Ross,” he growled as the other assembled Time Lords laughed.

“I don’t get it. Why does he hate being called Ross so much?” Harry asked.

“His name translated means ‘stone skipping over a river of time’, whereas Ross by itself is a gallifreyan word for a type of very smelly fish,” Rose explained.

“So what are you doing here and why now?” Molly asked before there could be any arguments.

“Just came to see Harry, we promised we would when our timelines matched up again,” Rossadelaser explained. “We also wanted to test the TARDIS we just finished carving.”

“Where did you get the coral? It takes a thousand years to grow it to a large enough size to make a TARDIS,” The Doctor asked surprised and excited.

“It’s been growing at the bottom of the lake outside Hogwarts since well before the castle was even built. I put it there, and also know a few techniques to make it grow faster and healthier. There’s a few growths big enough and willing to become one down there now. So we’ve got a good start on things for when we find more of us,” Albus answered.

So the two wayward time lords were invited inside and they spent the rest of the night talking with each other and telling anyone interested all sorts of stories of previous adventures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The basic premise of this fic comes from a song called ‘Once In A Dream’ by In The City specifically the first few lines.
> 
> _Once in a dream I thought I could be anyone I wanted  
>  Hard to believe, but it felt real to me  
> Until the morning  
> When I'm awake, I still can't shake the taste of freedom_
> 
> They’re in a dream that they’re all humans and as humans they unlike strict and rigid rules of Gallifreyan society and expectations of that society, they really can be whatever they want to be. Then they’re woken up and become Time Lord/Gallifreyan again and they realise the time as humans has changed them and they do not want to go on the way they where before and be less repressed.


	4. Taste The Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning 3rd segment contains domestic violence 

The peace in The Burrow didn’t last for long though. Apparently at some point Molly had snitched, because an enraged Minerva McGonagall showed up. Rose was surprised steam hadn’t been coming out of her ears. It apparently didn’t take her long to determine it was true that Albus Dumbledore was alive and well, just looked different. Faulks did after all kind of give it away.

“Really Albus! You not only left us alone when we needed you the most, you let us all think you were dead!”

“And I’ve told you I’m sorry Minerva. I really am. I didn’t have another choice in the matter. Things had to play out the way they did. All of time and space could have been destroyed or at least unrecognisably altered if it didn’t.”

“I don’t know about _‘time and space’_ but seriously, you should see the state Hogwarts is still in. Firstly some of the wards have been broken and no one can fix them because no one has ever seen runes like them before. Secondly we found this coral-like substance growing over the missing patches of wall, then actually checked the walls and found it’s growing behind or between every wall and no one knows what it is. It’s stalled things so much as it baffles the experts we don’t know if we’ll be ready to open by next September. We were already supposed to open last September as it is. Then I still need to find a transfigurations professor, and a Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor. No one wants the job for the last one. No one is willing to test if the position is still cursed now Tom Riddle is dead.”

“I’ll test it,” Ross spoke up.

“Really Severus as much as I’d love you to do so, you are still wanted for his murder.” McGonagall pointed at Dumbledore.

“I’ve told you, that’s not who I am anymore.”

“Yes well, Rossadel-whatever—“

“Rossadelaser,” he corrected.

“Yes, well you’ve done enough to fool the casual eye but you still look like Severus Snape. Besides all your credentials are in that name, and don’t think you’ll get away with using psychic paper the Aurors will look for that,” Minerva explained.

“Ah yes… that brings me to the other reason you both came here today,” the Doctor added as he started rummaging around in his coat pocket. He then pulled out two large envelopes and handed them to Ross and Albus. “You both stated your wish to stay on in this time period for now, but needed identification. Along our adventures before getting here I talked to some old friends in UNIT. That’s everything you both need to start a new life. Birth certificates, the qualifications you both asked for both muggle and magical, Gringotts vaults, it’s surprising how generous the goblins get when you mention the shadow proclamation. What else? Oh yes drivers licences, magical and muggle passports, you’re both registered animagi so you’ll not get in trouble if you shape shift, medical records, dental records, and even some unpaid parking tickets so you don’t look too clean on a background check.”

“Great. I’m desperate. So Professor?” Minerva McGonagall asked Ross with a raised eyebrow.

Rossadelaser looked at the Doctor. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” he replied laughing.

“Professor Ross Fisk Oranda,” Ross replied to Minerva.

“What’s so bad about that?” McGonagall asked, confused.

“Ross is what they nicknamed me in the Prydonian Time Lord Academy, because it may be a common non offensive name in English but in Gallifreyan the same word is a type of fish that tastes quite delicious but stinks. Fisk is an Old English name meaning ‘A Fish’, and an Oranda is a type of goldfish. What did I ever do to you Doctor?”

“You made a whole galaxy call me Theta Sigma,” The Doctor accused. “This is just payback.”

“Oh yea…. I’d forgotten about that. I mean come on it wasn’t that bad, it was after all only a very small galaxy,” Ross replied.

“Well this in comparison is after all, just a minuscule speck of a solar system,” The Doctor shot back.

“So what’s your new name Albus?” Minerva McGonagall asked to change the subject before an argument erupted.

“Albus Lionel Gryphon. I take it since I’m not sure where my animagi registration is in this lot just yet, you registered my golden griffin form.”

“Yes well it would have been hard to explain you having that and a phoenix form. Golden griffin is what you are naturally, Faulks is the only reason you can also turn into a phoenix,” The Doctor answered. “I’ve sneakily got myself added under John Smith as a wolf while I’m at it. Since Rose is still using the credentials she’s already gotten as Rose Tyler she’s going to have to go through proper channels to register.”

“I could fix the wards, but honestly my Old High Gallifreyan isn’t as good as it used to be which was clumsy to start with,” Albus told Minerva. “I will help as best I can of course. As for the coral, it’s part of the living organism Hogwarts is made out of. It’s good to know she’s healing.”

“Living organism, how by Merlin do you know that?” McGonagall couldn’t help but ask.

“Actually the Doctor has nothing to do with how I know that. Right Merlin?” Albus asked, eyes twinkling.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Well Godric Gryffindor, I happened to be stuck in a multi universal circular paradox that made me have to be Merlin. Are you still going to gloat about rescuing me from being sealed in the ice caverns by Morgana?”

“Wait… you’re Merlin?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Yes…. And most of what you’ve been told about me is a huge exaggeration. Also any of those old blood families claiming to be able to date their families back to me are lying. Well unless any of my kids or grandkids back on Gallifrey got up to something they were not telling me about anyway,” the Doctor answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Great, great, great, great, great grandkids last count I heard,” Rose added.

“Way to make me feel old Rose,” he shot back somewhat embarrassed. “Anyway the point is, he knows all about Hogwarts because he helped build it in the first place.”

“And I used a sentient coral-like life form that should encompass the entire castle by now, and is very protective of her charges. If it wasn’t for the Time War sapping her strength Riddle would never have managed to sneak a horcrux in in the first place, and kept that ruddy great big snake of Salazar’s contained in his _‘secret room’_. Rose would be better at fixing the wards though. She did spend a few centuries as a member of the Pythia on Karn. They studied those things extensively along with healing,” Albus explained.

“Yea I could fix and improve the wards but it will take me a while. I always was better at warding than healing. I’ll do it in exchange for fake animagus training Headmistress McGonagall.” Rose agreed.

“Fake training?” McGonagall asked Rose.

“Well I don’t need real training, I already can change into an animal. I just need the ministry to think I’ve gone through it all,” Rose replied. “Also I’ll need to stay at Hogwarts since that’s where I’ll have to spend my time. Shouldn’t take more than four months.”

“Four months?” The Doctor whined.

“You can always skip ahead and pick me up then. After all I know you couldn’t sit still that long without getting board,” Rose said ever so innocently.

“I can so sit still for that long. I’ve managed to stay on earth longer than that,” the Doctor stated with confidence and bravado.

“Yes, when your TARDIS was disabled by the Time Lords,” Rose taunted back.

“You’re on Rose Tyler, I’ll show you I can stay for however long it takes without skipping ahead.”

“Loser has to go back and talk on an Art Bell show during one of his time traveler hotlines,” Rose joked.

“You’re on. Tell him all about the year 2020, they’ll never believe any of it until it happens.” The Doctor stated.

“Fine,” Rose agreed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Hogwarts weeks later...**

Rose Tyler was actually having fun remaking the wards. She discovered Albus was right when he said his Old High Gallifreyan was pretty bad. So she decided she had to start again from scratch on some of them. It was precision work to ward runic arrays to cover the whole of Hogwarts, and she carved it into the coral where possible.

_‘At least you’re on a time-space rift. Not as powerful as the one in Cardiff but should be enough to keep you charged up and the runes working,’_ she told the old castle as she carved one of the roughly four hundred and twenty places she needed to put runes on for just the anti-apparition wards alone. She had removed a whole set of stone blocks inside the Slytherin common room to do so in order to get to the coral behind it.

_‘It still isn’t as good as the central eye of harmony on Gallifrey,’_ Hogwarts shot back. They had been having this argument for weeks now. The castle was depressed and hurt and kept looking for the negatives while Rose would point out the positives. _‘What is that you’re adding?’_

_‘Oh just some anti dark wizard measures. I’m going to do so in all of the common rooms since despite the rumours to the contrary there has been dark wizards to come out of every house. Just because the humans don’t know how to ward against the ‘unforgivables’ don’t mean I don’t. When I’m done no one should be able to cast any of them anywhere in this castle. Just one of the many improvements I’m making.’_

_‘What if the humans see you? They’re not supposed to know how to do that yet.’_

_‘Why do you think I’ve only been adding them and the others they’re not supposed to know about whenever Professor Flitwick or Babbling isn’t here, and turned any paintings around so they can’t see anything either.’_ Rose finished with everything she needed to do in the Slytherin common room and used her magic to repair the wall making it seem like nothing had ever been removed from that area. She put protesting portraits back to rights then headed toward the next place she needed to go. She was also a little grateful Harry let her borrow the Marauders Map while she did this. It’s so easy to get lost around here. She looked down at the map and saw a series of Gallifreyan runes marked on it that spelled out the Doctor’s name, and it was headed her way.

They both rounded the corner and nearly ran into each other quite literally, thanks to neither really paying attention. “Is that the Marauders Map?”

“Yep. Harry lent it to me when I said I’d probably end up getting lost since I’m gonna end up all over the castle.”

“What name do I show up as, on there?” He was genuinely curious, Rose just turned the map towards him and showed it. “Now that. That is scary. Probably a good thing only one that’s using the map and can read Gallifreyan is yourself.”

“It’s got mine on there too,” Rose added, “I wonder if it had Rose Tyler as my name on there when human or did they see a whole bunch of what would just be squiggles to Harry and Ron. I’m assuming it said Rose Tyler since Ross showed up as Severus Snape………. Wait…. Are you saying you’re okay with me knowing your actual name?”

“Sure. Only fair since I now know yours,” he replied, trying to go for nonchalant but came out as embarrassed and awkward instead. “If you don’t mind that I now know yours of course.... We could force ourselves to forget if you are more comfortable…. I mean since you changed back to Time Lady I thought that you weren’t into me anymore, and I can’t seem to stop myself from talking… I’m sor—“

The Doctor was abruptly silenced by Rose pushing him up against the dungeon corridor, grabbing onto the lapels of his jacket, reaching up on her tiptoes and quite thoroughly snogging him speechless.

-x-x-x-x-

**Elsewhere In Hogwarts...**

Harry really didn’t know what had gotten into him lately but he found himself hanging out with Snape or now Rossadelaser every day. He had to admit the man was nothing like the Potion’s Professor he had known for seven years. Not only had he changed his name and styled his hair differently, he started wearing bright colours all the time. After all Severus Snape would never be seen dead or alive in such clothing, or so Ross claimed. His disguise seemed to genuinely work as well, no one seemed to recognise him. Not even Neville who had taken over the Hogwarts greenhouses after the death of Professor Sprout. Harry wasn’t going to tell him either. Especially since he insisted on tutoring both of them in potions, passing on really helpful hints and made sure to keep it interesting so both of them didn’t let their minds wander. Surprisingly they both had found they now actually liked the subject and were good at it.

Harry showed up in a mood and with a backpack outside Rossadelaser’s quarters in Hogwarts one morning. It had been two months since Rose had shown back up in his life with time lords in toe changing his life forever. If someone had told him just three months ago he’d show up on Snape’s doorstep looking for somewhere to stay he’d have laughed at them. Really though he didn’t have anywhere else to go right now. Hermione had abruptly decided to go live with her parents in Australia four months ago, although he has his suspicions why she did now. Remus had made it through the war but Tonks hadn’t and was busy looking after a baby and didn’t need him showing up. He’d start sleeping in a muggle tent under an overpass before going back to the Dursleys. That only really left Ross.

Ross opened his door and took in the state Harry was in right now. “What happened?”

“I was practicing using that potion for detecting if things are drugged. I put some of the tea Ginny made me in it to show her. Only instead of showing the negative result I was expecting it turns out she’s been dosing me with amortentia. I’m pretty sure she’s been doing so since sixth year. I’m just glad we hadn’t got married yet because my bride-to-be has been secretly dosing me with a love potion for years. I need to find somewhere to stay. Mr and Mrs Weasley are appalled by what Ginny did, they all are except for Ron my so called best friend, but I just can’t stand to be near her in that house right now.”

“Ah. I’m really sorry to hear that. What about the few weeks you spent galavanting across the time space continuum getting in trouble with the Doctor and Rose? I know you need to be dosed daily with that stuff, or when looking for horcruxes?”

“I honestly didn’t think about her much at all until I got back. Both times she was very quick to give me food or something to drink when I got back.”

“Well I’ve got the perfect remedy for a broken heart,” Ross declared as he ushered Harry inside and pulled out a bottle of fire whisky and handed it to him as he picked up another bottle which said _‘ginger flavour’_. “We’re gonna get well and truly drunk, then find you a place to stay until September tomorrow. Minerva should be back by then, I can ask her if you can stay for a while, but I doubt she’ll let you stay the whole time. It’s to do with resetting the wards, but who knows she might. After all, Rose along with the Doctor, has done much to improve them already. Might no longer need to vacate for at least a week every year.”

Harry was barely listened, as his mind wandered and he also spotted a lot of bottles of ginger ale, crumbs of ginger cake and bread, ginger tea, and basically anything edible with ginger in it. “What’s with all the ginger?”

“Oh… Yes well it takes a lot of alcohol to get a time lord drunk. What actually does work like alcohol to us is ginger, believe it or not.”

“I can. There’s something about ginger I’ve always had a reaction to unlike anyone else does. Makes me fuzzy headed, stagger, remove my brain to mouth filter, and gives me headaches later. Yet I could drink this entire bottle and not be affected.”

“Hmm. There must be more gallifreyan in you than we thought,” Ross spoke while swapping the bottle of fire whiskey Harry was holding for another one this time with added ginger, “Genetics can be strange things when it comes to hybrids, and I know gallifreyan genes are normally dominant within four generations out when crossing with humans. Quite fascinating. We’re going to need to sweet talk the Doctor’s TARDIS into letting us in to do scans. I’m actually curious now. I’ve finished the basics of making my own TARDIS now but it still needs lots of equipment like medical scanners. Have you ever had a reaction to aspirin?”

“Actually yes,” Harry replied a little confused and startled by the question. “When I was five. I remember it so clearly despite my age at the time. It was one of the very few times I’ve been sick. I’d had a bad flu and my temperature was so high I’d actually been hallucinating on and off. Aunt Petunia wanted to take me to a doctor but Uncle Vernon was adamant I stay in my cupboard and not infect Dudley. So all she really could do was give me some aspirin. Some fifteen minutes later I started to swell up and couldn’t breathe. Uncle Vernon didn’t want to get me help, just be rid of me, but Aunt Petunia called _‘999’_ and got an ambulance then set me up on the sofa like I had been there the whole time. I got admitted to the hospital and was there for a week. I apparently almost died from the aspirin then later from the flu.”

“I really need to give your ‘Aunt’ and ‘Uncle’ a good long talking to. You know what let’s go now!”

“Wait what?” Harry asked incredulously as he followed Ross into his wardrobe which turned out to be a TARDIS in disguise. For the first time Harry noticed the time lord seemed to be somewhat inebriated.

Ross just started to run around the central console and flip switches and turn dials as the TARDIS took off. He didn’t say anything as they landed. They appeared to be in Private Drive to Harry when he followed him out and the wardrobe had turned into a car. He could tell they were still in the time they had just left though because there was a newspaper with today’s date on it rolled up and sitting on the front step of number four.

“Rossadelaser, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Harry said as the other man was going to knock. 

The sound of an argument was going on inside. They heard things crashing and being thrown. Then there was a piercing scream of a woman inside. “Tuney?” Ross asked no one in particular. Harry seemed to have frozen, probably having some sort of flashback. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Rossadelaser then took advantage of the fact his body as a time lord was so much stronger as he made a run at the door and bust it open as he rammed his shoulder against the edge it opened on. His adrenaline was high, he didn’t feel a thing even though he had a large splinter of a door now sticking into his shoulder.

He made his way into the kitchen where things had been turned upside down and lots of smashed glass and crockery lay around. Petunia Dursley was cowering behind the upturned table covered in cuts and bruises, with Vernon enraged and holding a very large kitchen knife. This got Ross’ blood boiling and he even forgot he had magic as he rushed Vernon Dursley and took him to the ground in a rugby tackle. They fought over the knife for a bit until Ross managed to get it off of him and threw to the far side of the kitchen. He struggled to keep the man pinned and yelled out, “Harry!”

This shook Harry out of his stupor and he ran into the house and joined him in the kitchen. Thinking quickly he moved to the cupboard under the stairs he had once lived in and pulled out a really long extension lead that had been there for as long as he remembers. He picked up one of the kitchen chairs and set it down beside where Ross was wrestling with Vernon. “Let’s get him up on the chair so we can tie him up. Don’t want to use magic because someone might have called the police by now after you kicked the door down. If Dumbledore was still Dumbledore, I’ve no doubt Mrs Fig would have contacted him as well, so she might reach out to someone in the order instead.”

“Right. Help me up with this worthless lump of lard then.”

Harry did as asked and they wrestled Vernon into the chair then tied him up, protesting and name calling the whole time. Vernon glared at them both. “What do you think you’re doing!”

“Stopping you from killing my Aunt it looks like,” Harry shot back angrily. He moved over to where she was hiding and coaxed her out. “Are you okay Aunt Petunia?”

“He threatened to kill me and this time he meant it,” she replied.

“How long has this been going on Tuney?” Ross asked.

“I know you….”

“Well we were children last time we met. Back in Spinners End. I’ve also cut and dyed my hair since then.”

“Sev?” She asked and he nodded. “What are you doing here?”

“Got mildly intoxicated and decided it was a good idea to have an argument about how you both treated Harry as a kid. Harry came along to probably stop me.”

“I’m sorry Harry. He used you as a scapegoat, and if I showed any affection he’d beat me for it. I’m sorry about all the times I locked you up, but at least if you were locked away you were safe from him. I’ve tried my best to keep both you and Dudley from knowing.”

Vernon tried to say something but couldn’t because at some point it seems like someone had taped his mouth shut. 

“So if the police don’t show up, is there anything you’d like me to do with him? I can not harm him but leave him somewhere far away with no memory,” Ross asked.

“Don’t be silly, you will just get into trouble with your lot that way,” Petunia replied, feeling a little more confident.

“You know how my parents died. My father, the drunk he was, was always abusing me or my mother. Eventually he killed her, then himself. Although that part was more drunken accident than suicide. I was only in fifth year at the time, and it messed me up worse than ever. If Lily knew I’d let you suffer the same fate she’d somehow manage to hex me within an inch of my life from beyond the grave,” Ross stated, playing the part he’d lived as Severus Snape one more time to get through to her.

“No I’m going to call the police, get this bastard behind bars where he belongs,” she replies and then goes to call the police.

They stayed there and when the police came gave their statements. Vernon was taken away and Harry went to the hospital in the ambulance with his Aunt Petunia. She had suffered a number of injuries that needed to be treated and documented. He called Dudley who was at university to tell him what was going on, and he rushed to the hospital himself. Both Harry and Dudley offered to stay with Petunia to help her out around the house when she gets out of hospital. Ultimately she decided to only take Harry up on the offer because he currently needed somewhere to stay. Dudley had his own place near the university and would be in better condition to get to classes from there.

Rossadelaser stayed at Number 4 Private Drive to _‘clean up’_ once the police were finished and had refused all treatment for the splinter stuck in his arm and had simply pulled it out and healed it when everyone was gone. At least cleaning and repairing had been easy since he could use magic. 

By the time he had finished he had made everything look as if nothing had ever happened, then commenced with his real reason for staying behind. He looked through the house for any of Lily’s things Petunia may have kept, finding a few forgotten boxes full of things in the roof space. 

He had no luck though, Naomi’s watch was not among them. If he could find that watch and her soul was still in there he could bring her back. Not through the dark methods Tom Riddle had used to do so. No the watches were different and if someone died when under a chameleon arch it was possible if the bio container for the soul was still intact, to resurrect them through Time Lord science.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Luna University, 42nd Century...**

  
  


Bernice Summerfield hadn’t meant to fall in love again. She really hadn’t. It’s just meeting Miles at the bar that night had turned into agreeing to meet up again for coffee the next afternoon, then drinks at the bar the next night, then going to see the new hollo movie remake of Return of the Jedi, and before she knew it they were dating. It had been going on for months now, and she was actually really happy. She just couldn’t help waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. There was something off about him that she could never quite put her finger on. She also had to shut up her inner voice every time it whispered how much he was like Brax, her friend Brax, before he’d gone crazy. Or even Irving back on Legion. But he was definitely human. She couldn’t help thinking she was forgetting something important relating to that.

Miles was autistic and had trouble making connections with people even if his condition was mild enough to get through life relatively normally. So the few genuine friends he had were happy for him. That he’d managed to find someone he just clicked with so well, and loved so much, and was loved by in return.

Benny sat in on one of his lectures since she was free at the moment, and he kept doing it to her so she figured, turn about was fair play. She couldn’t help but laugh at his antics, he was directing and instructing students, but at the same time kept doing silly things to make her laugh. He deliberately over acted a part in a flamboyant manner as an aside on what not to do. Read out another part but deliberately changed the name of the lead female to Benny. Cracked some jokes that were so corny she couldn’t help but laugh at.

She had a friend she’d met through him who taught potions in the magical side of the university. She had long red hair and green eyes. She decided to come with her to sit in on the lecture and she was laughing too. “Really Benny, you could always run away now and I’ll distract him. He’s a bit crazy after all.”

“I’d not do that Lily. I’m afraid it’s too late for me. I only wish it won’t end up in heartbreak. With either him leaving me when in twenty years time and I’ve not aged a day while he has, or when he eventually dies on me.”

“You’re quite morbid today.”

“Sorry I can’t seem to help it. Just, seemingly I never can manage to stay happy in a relationship for so long. Even with my previous husband Jason, we had our fair share of ups and downs. Probably more down than up if I’m honest. I guess it’s just left me suspicious even all this time later, when everything is going along so well. I’m just old and jaded.”

It wasn’t long until the lecture was over and they sat on until Miles came up to them. “So what brings me the honour of the company of two such lovely ladies.”

“I just followed Benny here, then noticed how crazy you actually are and have been trying to convince her to run for the hills. Unfortunately it seems she is too far gone so she’s stuck with you,” Lily told him.

“I may be crazy but at least I’m medicated,” Miles sang out and laughed as he sat down beside Benny and put an arm around her as she unconsciously leaned into him. “That’s from another one of those 21st century indie bands I found, Louden Swain.”

“What is it with you and your weird taste in music,” Lily joked, “Your tastes are all over the place with both that and art.” 

It was true, the man just seemed to enjoy all forms of art. Everything from classical, to ostentatious, to a little bit wacky. “I don’t know, but does it matter?”

“Of course not. I liked that song, it was the one with the kazoo solo in it wasn’t it?” Benny reassured him.

“Yes. I believe the song writer thought it was something a little wacky so added it in later. He wanted people to come across it and tell people hey there’s a kazoo solo and others have to check it out because it’s a bit silly,” Miles explained as he answered.

“You’re good for him Benny, and I mean that. Miles has been a lot less depressed and more thoughtful since the two of you met. Heck he’s never liked being touched as long as I’ve known him and I’ve known him a long time. Now here he is cuddling and being openly affectionate with you,” Lily said in observation.

“Well she’s the exception, there’s an exception to every rule you know. Why wouldn’t I cuddle with the love of my lives and soulmate?” Miles asked then gave Benny a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away.

“Lives?” Lily queried.

“Did I say lives? I meant life of course. Mind you I’m still convinced we knew each other in another life. Just you wait, you’ll find someone someday and be knocked off your feet Lily, and don’t want to get back up yet alone be able to. It’s kind of ironic between you, me, and Marvin, I'm the one who ended up in a relationship,” Miles replied.

“See Lily, he can also be a romantic when he wants to be,” Benny replied a little flushed at his antics but loving it. He had a way of always making her feel wanted. It probably helped that since developing telepathy she could tell he was being genuine about his feelings and that they ran deep.

“Yea well believe it or not, I always get the feeling I’ve lived other lives and I had my soulmate throughout most of them. I even see him in my dreams sometimes, all different faces yet the same soul, and that I’m just waiting for him to find me. It sounds silly I know,” Lily confessed. “But hey at least it’s not anywhere near as bad as the silly dream I keep having about being Harry Potter’s mother Lily. It probably comes from too much to drink the most nights I have that dream and being named Lily Evens.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to thank everyone who has read my mad ramblings so far. I love and appreciate every one of you.


	5. School Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hate writing out old episodes word for word so I’ve only add in bits and more or less summarised it.
> 
> Sorry this is so short but if it helps the next chapter is half done I was going to add it into this one but it just didn’t flow properly that way. So next chapter should be coming along soon.

It had been fun for Rose spending all that time at Hogwarts. She finished the warding and was actually quite proud of herself. The wards were far more intricate and nuanced than before, and all tied into Hogwarts herself so she can switch each one of them on and off if needed. In addition to all of the protective wards Hogwarts is supposed to have Rose added a few more safety features. 

A cushioning charm that would activate and catch anyone who fell from a great height like falling off their broom during quidditch, or off the top of the astronomy tower and had a lot of fun demonstrating by flinging herself off the top of aforementioned tower. 

There was the wards that stopped the unforgivable curses she didn’t tell anyone about, but did tell the general intent behind that is the ward stopped anyone from casting any spell that is meant to hurt someone else. Kids could for example still cast spells in the corridors despite school rules but it would not work if they had bad intentions in doing so. This way anyone in the school could demonstrate a dark spell but if they had the intent to harm others it won’t work. This also stopped some of Peeve’s mischief, but only some. He being the annoying poltergeist he is, he finds lots of ways around it to get into trouble. Much to the caretaker Mr Flitch and some other Hogwarts ghosts’ annoyance. The Ghost population at Hogwarts had also increased as a testament to the battle that had happened. There were people from both sides that didn’t cross over, but fortunately Tom Riddle wasn’t one of them as a side effect to having horcruxes that were all destroyed.

There were many more wards she added, but most of which will not be noticed until much later. She also spent a fun filled few weeks after she and the Doctor finally got together being playful with him. They’d spend some moonlit nights in dahrama form chasing each other around the wide open grounds of Hogwarts, and even venturing into the forbidden forest. Pretty much all sentient creatures in there learned not to mess with the Doctor. In the end though Rose won their bet because the Doctor thought he could just sneak away somewhere and be back before anyone knew he was gone. Of course it totally slipped his mind there were no less than three time lords in the general vicinity who could hear his TARDIS talking about the wonderful adventure they had.

Not that they were done with schools. Mickey called and told them about an over performing muggle school and UFOs being spotted in the area beforehand. The Doctor wanted to go undercover as a science teacher, tried to get Rose to be a lunch lady, then got promptly slapped by Rose. Then she was the science teacher and the Doctor got to be the  _ ‘dinner lady’ _ because Rose claimed he was being misogynistic. So he volunteered to do so just to prove he wasn’t, only to realise Rose had tricked him into volunteering to do so. The Doctor was left speechless and kind of impressed she’d managed to do that. 

They were checking out the school at night when the Doctor ran into his old friend and companion Sarah Jane Smith. She was investigating just like they were. The two old friends really didn’t get to talk much before they heard a scream and ran to investigate to all converge on Mickey covered in vacuum packed rats. 

“They’re rats! Vacuum packed rats!” Mickey defended.

“So you decided to scream? Like a little girl? I’m seeing pigtails,” the Doctor made fun of Mickey.

“Say’s the dinner lady,” Rose responded. “I mean really, he even wore the female version of the uniform to work today. Not that I got anything against that, wear what makes you comfortable I say. Just you’ve not got much of a leg to stand on in that argument Doctor.”

“You lost another bet didn’t you?” Mickey asked, trying not to laugh.

“More like Rose tricked me into volunteering to work in the kitchen. Then I lost a bet,” he answered rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Question is, what exactly are vacuum packed rats doing in a school?” Ross asked.

“Well obviously they’re for desecrating in science class,” Sarah Jane spoke up for the first time.

“No, they’ve not done that in years. Some sort of health and safety issue. You know the good old British Government, health and safety crazy. So much it’s surprising children are still allowed play parks,” Rose commented.

“Well you, know you're getting older Doctor when your assistants are getting younger,” Sarah Jane remarked.

“I’m older than I look, and I’m not his assistant,” Rose retorted. She didn’t want to say much in front of Mickey in case he told her mum.

“Well then good for you tiger,” she said sarcastically to the Doctor.

“He’s actually my assistant, he just hasn’t realised that part yet,” Rose joked to ease the tension. Her sarcastic remark may be somewhat true but she didn’t want to get into some weird sort of contest like she probably would have, had she still been human. The main difference being the weight of years, and the fact Time Lords don’t practice strict monogamy like most humans do in this time period. It’s one of the key teachings of the Pythia in the Sisterhood of Karn that love is love no matter what form it may take. You don’t feel less love for loving someone else, just more love to go around. The common people on Gallifrey practiced this openly, while the houses pretended not to until a Time Lord is over 400 years old, well after the obligatory marriage period of their lives.

“Oi! I’m no one’s assistant!” The Doctor protested, “Unless you have some of Mrs Weasley’s banana cake. I’d probably do anything she asked so long as she keeps backing me cakes.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “She’s in luck then, she’s decided you’re way too skinny and needs to fatten you up.” She turned to Sarah Jane. “Hi, I’m Rose.” She knew who Sarah Jane was. She’d done extensive research into many of the Doctor’s known companions when in the CIA but figured she’d not make the Doctor uncomfortable by showing just how much the Time Lords really knew about his travels. Instead she pulled out a paper sweet bag. “Would you like a Jelly Baby?”

“Sarah Jane Smith,” she replied a bit more at ease and took one out of the bag and put it in her mouth.

“Where did you get Jelly Babies?” The Doctor was a little confused as he picked one out of the bag himself followed by Mickey.

“Your coat pocket.” Rose took a jelly baby. “He changes, but yet he never changes,” Rose said in aside to Sarah Jane as they started to investigate once again and the Doctor took the jelly babies from Rose and stuffed them back in his coat pocket.

Things didn’t go so well as they found out the headmaster and the teachers, and diner ladies he brought with him were giant bat-like creatures. They made their escape after taking a sample of the oil they’d been cooking the chips in. They couldn’t go back into the school where the TARDIS was at, but luckily Sarah Jane had something to help with that. In the back of her car was the robot dog.

“K9!” Both the Doctor and Rose exclaimed.

“It looks a bit disco,” Mickey remarked. 

“I think he’s wonderful,” Rose defended.

The only problem was K9 was in a state of disrepair. So they ended up ducking into a chip shop to repair him, but at one point during the repairs Mickey dragged Rose outside. “What’s wrong with you Rose? You’ve been acting weird since the Doctor changed. You’ve changed.”

Rose sighed, “I just don’t want mum to know.”

“Know what?” Mickey asked exasperated. “That you and the Doctor are obviously together? I got news for you. She figured that out a long time ago.”

“No that’s not it.” Rose crossed her arms and paced about.

“No point in denying it.” Mickey accused.

“I’m not. That’s not quite it Mickey.” She stopped pacing and turned to look at him.

“Then what is it then? Don’t spare my feelings I got the message that we’re over already. If I’m being honest with myself it had been that way since before he showed up.”

“It really isn’t about me and him Mickey.” She looked up at what little of the stars she could see on the clear night because of the lights around them. “You were right when you said I’ve changed.” She looked Mickey in the eyes. “I’m like him. I’m not really human.”

“Don’t be daft. I’ve known you your whole life,” Mickey scoffed.

“All of this one maybe. It was during the time war. There was an accident with our TARDIS and got hit by the time vortex. The combination of that and the explosion in the control room caused me to regenerate. The problem was unlike a normal regeneration I came out the other side as a baby. So the faction of Time Lords I worked for decided to send me and my crew through first as part of our evacuation plan. The time lords have this device that can turn us temporarily into humans. They used it to make me a human baby with no memory of the life I had led before.

“When I looked into the TARDIS she changed me back into a Time Lord along with restoring all my memories. I’m not human Mickey. I’m a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey and I’m somewhere around nine hundred years old. I was born in the mount lung region five minutes before my twin brother Narvinectralonum, and two weeks after and five miles away from the Doctor. He was a childhood friend, but then we went to different academies so lost contact. I can also turn into a dahrama which is a gallifreyan wolf.”

“Rose you can stop winding me up now,” Mickey replied jumpily.

“I’ll prove it.” Rose shifted form into that of her dahrama and looked over at Mickey heat break in her eyes as Mickey stammered out that he couldn’t do this and made a run for it. She let out a long mournful howl as she felt the beginning of the separation in her timeline from her human family. This quickly turned to anger as one of the bat creatures swooped down and across from seemingly nowhere. It miscalculated because Rose was able to jump up high enough to bite it’s ankle, but couldn’t hold on so it got away.

Rose growled out an indignant huff as she watched it wing it’s way far away.

“Language,” the Doctor remarked, as he walked over to her from where he had been watching nearby with Sarah Jane and ran a hand soothingly through her fur, “Also I’m not sure that’s anatomically possible for that alien either.” Rose just glared at him. “Mickey will be fine. I may tease him and call him an idiot but he’s far from it. Come on change back and let’s get some chips.”

Rose really didn’t feel like changing back. Being in animal form has always calmed her when she felt turbulent emotions. Was the same way for most time lords she knew. Or animagus’ once she thought about it. Instead she followed them back to the chip shop that allowed well behaved dogs into the seating area. She just slunk down under the table, lay down with a huffing noise and stayed there as she pretended to be a dog. She even wagged her tail at the waitress who loved dogs and stopped to pet her, leave a bowl of water and gave her a sausage Rose suspected had fallen on the floor at some point but she didn’t really care and ate it anyway. It would have been rude not to after all.

“You’ve got the whole pretend to be a strange breed of dog act, down pretty well,” the Doctor remarked as he started working on K9 again.

_ ‘You’re just jealous because she said she liked the colour of my coat and you can’t show off your own.’ _ She shot back telepathically to him and Sarah Jane who startled a little.

“So you’re the same species as the Doctor then?” Sarah Jane asked.

_ ‘Yes.’ _

“I’ve never seen you turn into a wolf Doctor. Can you do that?”

“All time lords can turn into an animal form yes. Mine is also a wolf with what we call  _ ‘fire coat’ _ which is reddish ginger with brighter more yellow highlights. You’re from a time when the magical and non magical people are separated and living apart from each other in different societies. I always try and respect the international statute of secrecy and not let non magical people see me obviously using magic.” The Doctor explained as he soniced some wires together.

“Magic?” Sarah Jane couldn’t help asking.

“Yes. Although really all it is is the manipulation of psionic energy. This universe is more susceptible to manipulation by psionic energy than most. There are humans who can manipulate it, as well as many other species who can, like my own. Right now they keep to themselves because of the persecution they suffered from by the church. They’ll not be able to stay separate for much longer though,” the Doctor explained.

Any other questions were cut off by K9 coming back to life. The Doctor got K9 to analyse the oil sample which turned out to be Krillitane oil. They spent the night camping out in Sarah Jane’s living room for the night. In which the Doctor spent most of which in dahrama form. Both to show off to Sarah Jane now the wolf is out of the bag because he loves his  _ ‘fire coat’ _ so much before she went to bed, and to curl up with Rose who was still stubbornly staying in dahrama form. 

The next morning they both had to resume their normal forms and go into the school. The Doctor and Rose confronted the headmaster and Rose smirked a bit that he was limping. The headmaster decided to try and up his chances of succeeding in his plan by trying to talk Rose and the Doctor into joining him. It didn’t work. They didn’t take the bait and stopped them and ended up blowing up the school. K9 was lost in the process but the Doctor made Sarah Jane a new K9 unit and reused the memory circuits from the old one so it would have all the same memories plus some upgrades.

Along the way in this adventure though, they found out there was an orphanage with lots of the kids going to this school. Turns out they were all Time Lord children and the staff at the orphanage, their teachers from the Prydonian academy. It was the first real evidence they had come across that there were more than Rose’s crew and Narvin who escaped the war and it was heartening.

Albus volunteered to help the caretakers look after the kids until we find enough people to come up with a real game plan as to what they’re going to be doing next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all who take the time to comment, give kudos, or just take the time to read. Love all of you!


	6. I’m A Little Teapot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Art Bell 1945 - 2018

**Pahrump, Nevada August 2004**

The Doctor was pissed. So pissed off he had that quiet type of anger that made whole armies turn and run. He had come to have a bit of fun and call into the Coast to Coast AM Time Travel Open Lines tonight. Of course things went south when some sort of detection device from Area 51 detected three aliens in the vicinity. They didn’t try to go after the Doctor once he identified himself, he was protected by international treaty. Rose was safe because she spent the entire time with him. What they did do was grab Rossadelaser who thought it would be funny and came along to watch. 

UNIT was working on getting him back and they had been assured he hadn’t been harmed. The Doctor though gave them an ultimatum, they had until midnight to return him unharmed and in the same condition he had last seen him or he’d take matters into his own hands.

He spent all day pretending to be from the company that provides Art Bell’s satellite communication for his radio show. The whole time he was actually secretly upgrading his setup beyond normal earth tech. Nothing the likes of Unit or Area 51 themselves wouldn’t have but was up there enough they don’t have a counter to it. 

Midnight came and no sign of Ross. It was show time. The Doctor rigged up the phone on the outside of the TARDIS so he could watch the show. Him and Rose sat and listened to the normal opening spiel, quick read of the news, introduction to the topic and finally ready to take the first call.

The doctor used his sonic and triggered a device he set up earlier to make sure he would be the picked up caller and a little grateful Art didn’t screen his calls.

_‘Hello caller you’re on the air!’_ Came through the telephone.

“Hello Art! It’s so great to be talking to you it really is! Big fan! This planet needs more people like you, willing to listen to people’s truths no matter how crazy they might sound.”

_‘Wait, aren’t you the guy who showed up to fix my satellite transmitter earlier?’_

“Oh yes, that was me. Sorry for the subterfuge. Had to make sure your friends over at Area 51 can’t interrupt your signal. It was so rude the last time they did that. I mean a satellite that loses Earth-lock and only takes your station off air? Seriously guys satellites don’t work that way, they lose Earth-lock the footprint shifts and you’re well within the footprint so you’d be one of the last ones to go. Oh by the way you should say hi to all your surprised to be listening to this instead of their normal programming listeners. You’re broadcasting off of every satellite around the planet right now.”

_‘Wait, what?’_

“Oh don’t bother trying to take me for a crazy person and hanging up on me, you can’t. I’d also like to state for the record since this will be very much on the record Art had no part of this, that was all me.”

_‘And who’s me?’_

“Oh sorry I do get lost in a ramble sometimes. I’m the Doctor. That's code 9 for all the different agencies listening to this.”

_‘The Doctor? As in the mysterious guy who shows up from time to time when we’re in trouble and stops alien invasions?’_

“Oh! You’ve heard of me! Yea that’s right, I’m that Doctor and no I’m not a myth.”

_‘I’ve been hosting a show about the paranormal since the 70s, it’s hard not to have heard of you. So why did you feel the need to hijack my show tonight?’_

“Well Art, I heard you wanted to hear from a time traveler, you listeners are also interested in aliens. So two for one special. My name is the Doctor, just the Doctor. My planet was named Gallifrey and was in the constellation of Kasterborous. I am a Time Lord and travel through both time and space. I’ve been saving this planet for what seems like half of my life. That’s a pretty long time mind you, I’m nine-hundred years old. I mean originally I was just going to have some fun and call in and tell some vague and unbelievable facts about the year 2020. Honestly there’s so much in that year. Murder hornets, the toilet paper shortage, Donald Trump as president. Always great fodder of a year for these shows.”

_‘You’re right that doesn’t sound believable.’_

“Just make sure you don’t take ANY pain meds on 13th April, 2018 and you’ll probably live to see it for yourself.”

There was a colourful flood of lights that ballooned out from outside where Art was broadcasting and briefly rippled across the sky like the Aurora Borealis. 

_‘What the hell was that!’_

“That would be the magnetic shielding I put over your radio tower this evening. It just deflected the normally invisible electromagnetic pulse they sent at it to shut the show down. Nope sorry guys, you’ll have to do better than that.”

There was the sound of a wolf howling as Rose changed and ran off to go around his house. 

_‘You’re saying they just tried to take out my signal.’_

“Yup. Didn’t work out for them this time. Also a word of warning to the US government, if what that last guy was saying about trans dimensional beings was true the last time you did that. Well let’s just say you can’t trust those guys, they’re trying to trick you.”

There was a loud yelp that sounded like it was from a man.

_‘And what was that? I don’t know if you heard it folks but there was someone making a yelping noise from outside.’_

“Oh that would be the special forces team the Air Force sent in from Area 51 to cut the cables going from your house to the tower outside since the EMP didn’t work. It’s ok. Anti-kinetic shielding, it stops their guns from working. Right now my….er… dog, has treed them.”

Rose let out another loud howl in protest at being called his dog that could be heard over the broadcast.

“Don’t worry folks I set up cameras to capture all of the action. Will make sure Art has it when we’re done. Oh wait. We’re getting another call. Hello caller. You’re on the air. Welcome to coat to coast AM, sorry Art. I’ve always wanted to say that.”

_‘Really Doctor, is all of this necessary?’_ A familiar voice cut in.

“Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Left-Bridge Stewart. It’s so good to hear from you. Just remember no swearing, you’re live. What can I do for UNIT tonight? Or is it morning or evening where you are?”

_‘Doctor, stop playing around. You’re not helping the negotiations with dreamland.’_ The brigadier replied exasperatedly. _‘They pretty much want your head on a stick right now over there.’_

“We both know they won’t actually do anything, or I won’t pull them out from whatever stupid fire they cause next time. They were expecting me to storm the base, that’s American military for you always thinking about the most violent option. I’d much rather use words. You know me. I hate guns.” The Doctor stated cheerfully.

_‘Really the CO and XO of the base are fuming mad right now,’_ The Brigadier implored to his old friend.

“Who’s president right now? Is it Bush or still Clinton? Oh well either way remember that party I broke up in Little Saint James Island? Where the girls turned out to actually be Zygons. That was one heck of a party I accidentally stumbled into. Still have a nice home video of the whole thing.” The Doctor was as cheerful as ever.

_‘What do you want, Doctor?’_ Alister sounded tired.

“I want the people in Area 51 I’d give me back my friend they captured for the crime of being an alien and sitting in a café. He looks human… most of the time in case anyone is wondering. And if the Base Commander and his XO don’t personally deliver him and do a great rendition of _‘I’m a little teapot’_ right in front of the cameras I have set up in front of Art’s house I’ll start telling state secrets you don’t think I know, but I do. For example, Art, do you know everything Bob Lazier said about his work in Area 51 is true?”

_‘I’ve always expected as much.’_ Art replied.

“Yes they now have a working prototype. It’s triangular in shape and actually runs off of electromagnetic energy to keep it afloat. They’ve yet to get it to work outside the earth’s atmosphere though.” The Doctor added.

_‘Really?’_ Art asked.

“Oh yes, and they use them to make people think they’re seeing aliens. Aliens is a great cover for them after all because sometimes it really is aliens. They’re also responsible for some of the cattle mutilations. Not all but some. They’re basically using aliens as a cover to test cattle across the US for mad cow disease. You’d be surprised how much of things attributed to aliens is just them messing with people. Implants for example, I don’t know of any alien race who are tagging and releasing humans. Oh and not all aliens are bad, not all are good, even within most species. They’re just like people that way. Some come to earth to hide and take refuge and even are productive members of society. Others come to trade, and yes there are some who come to invade. Like I said just like people.” The Doctor explained.

_‘Well it is true that people are capable of all of that. I don’t understand though why the government would put implants in people?’_ Art asked

“Mostly it’s a test, testing out new technology to track people with.” The Doctor replied cheerily.

A convoy of military vehicles pulled up to the house and an exasperated general and annoyed cornel got out, followed by a bunch of other military personnel. They then let out a grinning Ross from the back of a truck along with an assortment of about five other aliens, some looking worse for wear and blocked from view of the Doctor’s cameras as they walked into the TARDIS.

“Oh look Art! It’s show time! Well this has been fun. Time to switch you back to just your regular audience. But before I go, I just want to make it clear. Art Bell is under my protection. Any of you try to shut him down just remember how well I managed to humiliate that general and his xo. Oh and no messing with the upgrades I made to his equipment. It’s nothing you don’t have already anyway.”

The Doctor hanged up just in time for the most regimented rendition of _‘I’m a little teapot’_ ever was performed. The General and his XO performed along with all their men they brought as well as the ones Rose treed, at the Doctor’s insistence and under presidential order to do as the Doctor commands.

“Makes you think, people. If they’re willing to be humiliated like fresh recruits in boot camp, what are they hiding?” The Doctor said to the camera before cutting off the signal so only the normal audience would hear the show. Used a prearranged signal on his sonic to email the footage to Art and a few other places as backups. Then he got into his TARDIS and left. Ross had managed to negotiate the release of some other _‘inmates’_ by refusing to leave without them, so he also took them home.

-x-x-x-x-x

**Luna University 42nd Century…**

  
  


Benny made her way into Mile’s apartment, she’d gotten a text message that asked for help. As she searched through the apartment she eventually found him practically naked curled up on himself with ears and eyes covered hiding in the closet. She tried her best to be quiet and not touch him. “Miles can you concentrate on my voice?”

He nodded.

“Ok, I’m going to find the potion Lilly made to temporarily dull your senses when in overload. Do you think you can try and concentrate only on some music to block everything out while I find it?”

He nodded and Benny put on one of his favourites on a loop as she called out the request softly to the apartment AI. She rummaged around as best she could in the closet and tried her best not to touch Miles because she knew that could make him worse in this state. She found it in a box of knick-knacks filled with mostly broken things for some reason. One thing did catch her eye though, a fob watch. 

Things crashed down around her as she realised what the watch was. She’d seen one of these before. The Doctor had turned himself human once and stored the time lord part of him in a watch just like this one. She realised what it was she had been missing and why Miles reminded her of Brax so much at times. Heck, even the name Miles Richardson, that was the name the Epoch gave him when they tried to convince them they were all actors recording an audio drama. At least that told her it was the one from legion and not the one who went crazy.

She picked up the watch and it whispered to her telepathically, _‘Bernice.’_

_‘Brax?’_

_‘Benny,’_ it replied with a hint of sarcastic humour. Although the love and fondness underneath it all directed her way nearly made her drop it in surprise. _‘Oh don’t be so shocked. I am him and he is me, undignified, autism induced meltdown and all. No personality rewrite. You’re holding the majority of my soul in your hands Bernice. I can’t shield my emotions in this state.’_

She could feel Brax’s embarrassment at being caught in such a state. Something clicked then. _‘The autism is not just a quirk of the chameleon arch is it?’_

_‘I don’t meltdown like this often as a time lord, but I will confess to at times needing you because you remind me quite loudly I am supposed to care about people I don’t know. I have the same trouble at times, especially with emotions. It’s not that I don’t care or have them, just I have problems dealing with them and expressing myself. Expert at mimicking being ‘normal’ though.’_ Brax was being unusually honest despite being embarrassed.

_‘You don’t do this often as a human either. Never seen you quite so bad. Also with the ridged way time lord society deals with things, it kind of explains a lot about you. And your brother. I’m guessing since in humans these things run in families, and from knowing him, he’s got similar problems. Oh bloody hell.’_ Benny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _‘So what do I do?’_

_‘What you normally do to help. I need to stay hidden until the Doctor shows up, and I mean this universe’s one, not the one that keeps showing up every so often from a different one. He has to be from after the war as well or we could still get stuck on the wrong end of the time lock.’_

She had more questions than answers but put the watch in her pocket. She could interrogate Brax later. His human self needed her help right now. Luckily for her telepathic communication happened as fast as the speed of thought so she hadn’t just frozen for long. Bernice helped coax Miles into drinking the potion.

The relief was instant for Miles as his senses dulled and he could no longer hear every little sound unable to ignore them. His peripheral vision wasn’t as acute and his sense of touch that had driven him into taking most of his clothes off dulled to a bearable level. His mind was more focused and no longer under assault from the world around him. “I’m sorry you had to drop everything to help me with that.”

“Miles, I’m here for you. You needed help and asked for it, there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ve not had a complete meltdown overload like that in months. What happened?”

He held his arms out like a small child looking for a hug and Benny obliged. Then settled them comfortably. She could feel his embarrassment, self loathing, upset, and yet some relief. Bernice concentrated on the relief and helped amplify it while running one hand through his hair as she lay on her side and spooned up to him. The contact and weight of someone holding him helped when he wasn’t in sensory overload. “It’s ok. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

“It’s stupid really, but it got to me and I couldn’t stop thinking about it and spiralling.”

“Then you went into sensory overload because you were so upset about it and couldn’t calm down.”

“That and the scent of the lemon scented cleaning product the cleaning robots use of all things. Like I said it was stupid. Just got annoyed at one of the social justice warrior types around here. They were berating someone for using a term about autism that really isn’t offensive. I get really annoyed at people who decide these things for everyone else. They even accused me of not having autism and are just pretending because I didn’t agree with them. Kept going on about how I am taking away agency from real autistic people. As soon as they settle on a non-offensive term for something one person will find that offensive so they need to find a different one, and the cycle goes on. It’s gotten that bad it’s hard to explain high functioning autism like mine. As you know I still get episodes like this, I still have trouble interpreting the emotions of others. Take things too literally. Get suddenly drained of energy when in highly social situations like playing with the band at the bar. Just I’m better at dealing with it most of the time so I seem normal.”

“As much as I want to go smack some sense into that person right now, everyone knows you can’t argue with an extremist SJW. They live in a culture that’s about who is more oppressed, and if you shut them down it just makes them be more validated. No one is saying go do something horrible to someone because of some perceived difference or go out deliberately offending people. Just that you’re really not helping and anyone that tries to tell them so is some sort of infiltrator from a hate group. I don’t like the extremists much either. Just remember they’re the ones with a problem not you. Easier said I know. Come on, you got a nice large bathtub with our name on it. That helps you relax.”

That was the one advantage of living in an era that can produce water from nothing. All you had to do was tell the house AI to fill the tub and what temperature and the water will just appear in the tub. Also deep tubs that could easily fit four people in it was in style. Benny put her hand on the watch unsure. _‘Are you okay with this? I’m kind of conflicted right now.’_

_‘Oh I’m very much okay with this,’_ Brax replied and a few images of really racey imagined scenarios flirted through Benny’s head that came from the watch. Then embarrassment. _‘Sorry I don’t have a filter while in here. I can’t lie, I can’t put up walls, I can’t pretend not to care, or love, or any of it.’_

_‘You can’t be the icicle. That’s good because it’s bad for your mental health. I failed you before. The other you was cracking and pulling away. He did a lot to try and make us feel better after the occupation, but we all neglected you and your needs. I know your façade is bull shit and that inside you’re one of the most insecure but caring people I know and yet I didn’t try to get through to you to help. I am sorry for that Brax.’_

_‘Human me is me without all of those shields and personas hidden inside personas. I’m tired Benny. So very tired. I don’t want to play that act anymore. I just want to be me, whoever that may be. Miles is my dream, the one I want so badly when awake.’_

_‘Then try to drop the act, let me in.’_

_‘I’ll try. I love you Benny. Don’t doubt that the habits of a lifetime means you may need to bash me over the head repeatedly when I’m doing it again.’_

She couldn’t deny it, she could feel it coming off of him in waves. _‘I… I love you too. Human and Time Lord. I’ve come to realise that. You might have to do the same for me sometimes. I guess since you don’t have a problem with it, I have a boyfriend to help relax so he doesn't go back into a meltdown again when the potion wears off, and really some of those scenarios you thought of sounds like fun.’_

So she followed Miles into the bathroom, stripped naked and got into the bath with him. The water wasn’t too hot or too cold, just a nice sort of warm, just in case. She moved over and sat next to where he lay floating on his back in the water. “Feeling more relaxed?”

“Yes. Thanks Benny. You’re so good to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love you.”

“I love you too. Besides it’s not like you haven’t helped me with some of my own more self destructive problems.” 

Miles let himself settle down next to Benny then pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss. Before anything more could happen however there was a grinding wheezing noise. They broke apart as the TARDIS appeared in his bathroom. “Now what?” Miles sighed.

The door opened and an oblivious alternative universe version of the Doctor came out of the TARDIS. “Summerfield, you won’t believe this but Gallifrey and Skaro both have disappeared without a trace.”

“Doctor!” Benny yelled and threw the nearest thing she could find at his head.

“Summerfield, why has this rubber duck got the seal of the house of Lungbarrow on it?”

“Never mind that you bloody idiot! We’re in the bath here!”

“Yes I can see that, nudity is hardly something to be embarrassed about.”

Benny looked to Miles for help but he was just holding back laughter, not in the slightest bit embarrassed. Right now is one of those times that really shows that they are brothers. Even if Miles didn’t currently know that, and the alternative Doctor never had a brother. She just let out a frustrated, angry groan and chucked the next nearest thing she could get her hands on at him.

Unfortunately this time it was her trousers and the watch fell out of the pocket and the Doctor caught it. “What’s this? Is this a Time Lord biodata container?” He glared at the watch. “Hey, who are you calling an irresponsible womp-rat?”

“Doctor, don’t op—“ it was too late, the Doctor opened the catch and the energy poured out and into Miles who let out a loud cry of agony as he was surrounded by it. He sank under the water during the transformation and came back up spluttering up water after. “Are you okay Brax?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Would have been better waking up with you in the bath naked if my womp-rat little brother wasn’t also in here. I told you not to open it, but oh no, you have to go and open it anyway.”

“I don’t have a brother,” the Doctor protested.

“Maybe not in your universe, but this one you have. And quite frankly I don’t care if you’re my brother or not, you’re still a womp-rat. I just hope that Gallifrey and Skaro being gone means we’re on the other side of the time lock.”

There was another wheezing groaning sound as another TARDIS materialised and this universe’s Doctor came running out. “Brax! I felt your distress all the way from…….” He trailed off as he took in the scene and Benny just wished she could turn invisible right then. Rose took one look out of the TARDIS and wisely decided to turn around abruptly and head back inside. “I’m sorry… am I interrupting something.”

“Yes, you both are you womp-rats. No matter what universe you happen to be from. Now if you don’t mind just turning around getting back in your capsules and going somewhere else until later and we finish what Benny and I started here.”

“Why what had you started?” the alternate Doctor asked confused.

“He means they were going to mate,” the other Doctor filled in helpfully.

“Oh! So that’s why Summerfield was throwing things at me,” the alternate replied.

Benny just got more and more angry and before she knew it she had lunged out of the tub and had knocked down the alternate Doctor and was growling at him. Wait…… growling? She looked around confused, she had four legs and yep that was definitely a tail. 

“How in heaven’s name did that happen?” The alternate Doctor asked confused.

“I’m guessing the universe you came from isn’t as susceptible to psionic energy as this one,” this universe’s Doctor replied. 

Benny who had looked in a mirror to find she was now a large wolf-like creature with pure snow white fur and ice blue eyes and was panicking. She was shaking and really just wanted to know what was going on. 

“Look at her, such a magnificent coat. I’m sorry I did not get to explain any of this Bernice. You’ve been going through changes as long as I’ve known you, this is just one of them, just like not ageing. Come on let’s get somewhere more comfortable than here. You’ll be stuck like that until you can calm down,” Braxiatel explained, as he looked around and found his trousers and pulled them on.

She was scared and angry and really didn’t know why but somehow him knowing what had been going on and had done for quite a while angered her. Before she really knew what she was doing she lunged at him, but he just turned into a slightly larger wolf with a white and blue coat and ducked down making her overshoot and hit the wall.

Brax took his chance to pounce and hit her square in the shoulder knocking her down and pinned her under him. He looked her in the eyes until she instinctively submitted and looked away exposing her jugular. She was also a little embarrassed that she felt herself responding sexually to it. Seeing he’d managed to calm the inner dahrama in Benny he ended up wagging his tail and licking her muzzle. _‘Got to do better than that if you want to take a bite out of me darling,’_ he sent playfully just to her and got up. _‘Don’t be so embarrassed, it’s not bestiality if we’re both wolves. Not that it would be anyway since we’re both sentient adults who can make our own decisions. Or any more than Peter would be a result of bestiality for being half Killoran. You’re just responding instinctually because you’re also in a dahrama’s body. You’re acting a lot on instinct right now. I don’t remember my first time changing because I was just a pup, but my mother was like you. She was much older her first time changing and always talked about how the first time was the worst when it came to unpredictable instincts taking over.’_

Benny tried to talk but made a barking noise instead and shut her mouth even more surprised. _‘Pull yourself together Benny, this is nothing. You’ve been turned into a cat before, or being stuck without a body, and worse later having to be in the body of a man for a while,’_ she thought she was thinking to herself but actually ended up sending out telepathically to everyone inside the room.

_‘I don’t know if I should feel amused or insulted that you think being a man was worse than being without a body,’_ Brax replied, still in dahrama form. He nuzzled up to her trying to send her comfort. _‘You’ve done admirably learning to control the touch telepathy, but you’ve progressed to full telepathy with touch enhancement now. That normally coincides with the ability to shift within people like yourself. Don’t worry you will get used to it and I’m here now. I can help you.’_

_‘Why here? Why now? What do you mean people like me? Your mother was like me?’_ Benny was so confused although calming down thanks to waves of calm and love Brax was sending her. She looked over to the Doctors where she could see the alternate one was confused while this universe’s, she was really going to need to come up with names for them because it was getting confusing even in her own head, was also a wolf much like his brother only with a flame coloured coat.

_‘How about womp-rat and flaming dahrama poo,’_ Brax suggested making sure both in question could hear him. He looked over at her with a wolfish look of amusement on his face. _‘You were thinking too loudly. We need to work on your shield—‘_

Brax was suddenly interrupted by a flaming ginger coloured wolf barrelling into him from the side. The two brothers rolled around play fighting for a bit until Benny instincts kicked in again, even though it was obvious the pair of them were just playing. She bit down hard on the Doctor’s left front shoulder as she knocked him off of Brax. 

He limped away and got as far back as possible from them both. _‘Easy Benny, I’m not going to harm your mate.’_

_‘Sorry. I really don’t know what came over me. I knew logically you two were only playing… it’s just—‘_

_‘That I was being a stupid idiot that should have thought about what your instinctual reaction would be. Your instinct saw danger to your mate and you just acted. I deserved it. Especially since it turns out your animal spirit is a dahrama to match up with that of your mate… We’re known for being one of the most volatile and instinct driven animals as it is.’_

_‘You know that’s something I’ve always noticed about you two, you're always somehow more yourselves and more relaxed when in that form.’_ Benny remarked. She had seen both of them transform many times, especially Brax after she had worked for a version of him for over a decade. She decided during that time she might be getting older but was going to keep in shape by going on runs around the collection as well as back on Dellah. He would always join her running alongside Benny as a wolf. Even on Legion this Irving Braxiatel did the same.

_‘Cultural thing. As Time Lords we’re taught from an early age to have control over ourselves completely. Our animal forms are from long, long, before we ever even left our own planet yet alone became Time Lords. The culture from back then is much more relaxed and instinct driven. Rassilon never could get rid of that part of us and believe me he tried. As a result it became culturally akin to the other side of a coin to that of the aloof and distinguished time lords we’re supposed to be,’_ the Doctor explained.

“Interesting. In my universe Rassilon managed to get rid of all of that using the looms,” Alt Doctor remarked.

“We only use looms if you get matched up with someone you don’t like or can’t procreate for some other reason,” Ten changed back and added. He then started stripping off all his top layers to check the bite wound in his shoulder.

“You mean you can still procreate naturally? What about Pythia’s curse?” The alternate Doctor asked and got looked at by everyone like he just asked if a chicken could open a jar of pickles.

“Pythia’s what? Don’t really know much about that subject. If you want to know anything historical about the Pythia you should ask Rose since she was once one of them when she was still in the Sisterhood of Karn. Never heard of a curse though. And of course we can still procreate naturally. My first two where loomed because I didn’t get along with the time lady my family made me marry. My youngest though, he came about naturally.” The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed. “Actually I have no idea who his mother is.”

“How can you not know something like that?!” The alternate asked him incredulously.

“Well you see I was young and stupid. I should have taken a contraceptive shot before I participated in the annual fertility rights—“

“The what?!” The alternate Doctor really wasn’t sure what he was hearing. Clearly this universe was much different than his own.

“Fertility rights? The only time of year the Pythia leave Karn and come to Gallifrey was during those once a year. It was mostly the common people who took part in them but you’d get the occasional person being rebellious from the houses like myself. Anyway they’re basically a massive orgy done to spite Rassilon more or less because he hated them and outlawed them when he was alive. A decision soon overturned as soon as our people got rid of him the first time. Anyway there were so many women and a few men that day and I didn’t know the identities of any of them really. The only one I was with I could identify was the sister in charge and even then I didn’t know who she was. There is a telepathic field up that will stop you recognising anyone unless you’re closely related, or recognise them by what they look like. Everyone who doesn't want to reproduce just needs to get a contraceptive shot beforehand, they give them out at the festival. I just got distracted and forgot to get mine. If uh… a child results the parents both can be identified later if needed. Anyway the mother dropped the baby off at the chapter house and abandoned him. Guess she thought he’d have a better life there. I was identified as the father and told to raise him. Honestly at that point I think the only reason I wasn’t disowned from the house and my son with me was because all early tests showed him to be quite gifted. Why am I even telling you all this?”

“Because I’m way too curious for my own good, but it’s a good heads up reminder that you have relatives here that I don’t and should probably watch out in case I get mistaken for you by one of them. Now as curious as I am about all of this, there’s just too much information to process right now. Where I’m from the very notion of magic is simply ridiculous. I guess I’ll leave Summerfield and her situation in your capable hands because quite frankly it’s one I know nothing about,” the alternate Doctor walked briskly into his TARDIS and left.

“Don’t worry Benny he’ll be back, and with a lot of questions. You know me, always run away from uncomfortable situations. I’d be willing to bet he’s still enough like me to not let curiosity fail him.” The Doctor looked over to the two wolves from where he had watched the other TARDIS disappear. “Are there any other time lords with you that I should be waking up Brax?”

_‘Two at the university. Naomi and Narvin. A few hundred in a nearby settlement.’_

“Naomi is here? Ross has been beside himself thinking she’s dead after playing the part of Lily Potter.”

_‘Ah. Yes that was unfortunate but the only way to keep the timelines intact. Ross isn’t thinking straight obviously. She’s fine the killing curse didn’t affect her watch, so of course we brought her back. Couldn’t leave her back in that time stream though in case anyone saw her. She’s a potion professor in the magical side of the university. Narvin thinks his name is Marvin and is from Mars and running a bar just off of campus.’_

“Marvin the Martian? I’m guessing he either didn’t get the reference or that you set that bit up after,” the Doctor replied and laughed. “Do you think you can handle things by yourself? No offence Benny but you’re a little jumpy. You’d probably feel more comfortable if I move the TARDIS and go with Rose to wake her brother.”

_‘Look Doctor I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bite you.’_

“It’s okay. Like I said it was completely my fault you instinctively went to protect your mate. Besides it’s mostly healed already. A quick once over with a dermal regenerator and no one would ever know. Not even a scar.”

‘Why do you keep calling him my mate?’ Benny asked, a little annoyed.

“Isn’t that obvious? I mean I could feel the tension from just walking in the room earlier. Then your soul chose a form to match his. You have no genetic predisposition so it would be whatever your patronus is and I doubt since you were born human, it started out as a dahrama. There’s only one reason a patronus changes. There’s also already a light bond between the two of you. That other Doctor might be oblivious, but I’m not. Anyway I’d better leave the two of you to sort this out. I’ll just move the TARDIS and go get Rose and tell Narvin the great news that there’s another one of me running around, he’d just love that.”

_‘I thought Marvin looked familiar. He knows. Long story that ended with me punching him in the face,’_ Benny replied and surprised a laugh out of both brothers. Although in Brax’s case it came out in an unnatural sounding huffing, hiccuping, barking noise as he shook with laughter. _‘Are you ok?’_

_‘Fine, fine. I probably don’t want to know what he did, but knowing him he deserved it. I can’t stop imagining the shocked look that he probably had on his face afterwards. It’s okay Doctor she seems to have a handle on her instincts, we’ll work on her shapeshifting while you annoy Narvin.’_

They waited until the Doctor was gone before Benny couldn’t help but ask, _‘I’m your mate?’_

_‘Not quite yet. I’ve been human all these months and haven't been able to complete the bond you initiated by using your telepathy on me so much. And honestly I was starting to think those two would never leave so I can complete my part of it.’_

_‘I didn’t even know I was initiating a bond. I don’t even know what it means.’_

_‘It’s just a telepathic connection to those you love. Can be platonic between family and friends, or romantic with a partner. For example I have a very strong sibling bond with all of my siblings. It’s how the Doctor picked up on my distress as I woke up so abruptly and was able to get here knowing where I was by instinct. The bond is purely platonic because of obvious reasons. Ours would be romantic making you my mate and get strong very quick because we have those intentions toward each other. It can shift to platonic if that ever changes, even lose strength with lack of use. It can be broken but as it deepens over time and use will become harder to break until the only way is the permanent death of one of us. When the connection is open we will always feel each other, know where we are in our relative time lines, know how the other is feeling, and can send thoughts at great distance. You’ll also know if I’m lying to you or being evasive. You asked me to let you in, that’s what I am offering you Bernice.’_

_‘You’re serious about this.’_ Bernice was actually surprised.

_‘Very. I’ll even give you my name, my true name, if you want it. Quite frankly I trust you more than I trust myself. I want to change. I told you I’m tired. Every time I try the universe throws a spanner in the works and I fall back into those patterns and isolate myself from those I love. You’re one of the most stubborn minded people I know, more than a match for me in that department. Most importantly though, I’ve been attracted to you since we first met. I fell in love with you. I don’t deserve you, but I’m selfish enough to take what is offered. I should also warn you, it wasn’t me who was with you at the collection, or any of that. I didn’t really get to know you until Legion, but because time lords are complex and that whole timeline no longer exists. Well I have memories of being him.’_

Benny thought her heart would sink and she’d want to tare that Braxiatel apart. But apparently she’s healed enough to move on from that. _‘So how do we start this bond. I really shouldn’t but I want to trust you.’_

He wagged his tail and nuzzled up to her. _‘If we do this, I’m going to want us to have children someday, but not right away or anything. Got a species to help repopulate, so more than one of them.’_

_‘Are you trying to get me to run away? Not going to work. I was at the stage in my relationship with Miles that I really wanted to get married, but would have wanted to skip the children part because I’m not sure I could watch another child grow old and die. I’m guessing that won’t be a problem if we have children together though.’_

_‘Our children will most likely be Gallifreyan, so they will age a lot more slowly. A Gallifreyan year is roughly five Earth years. As a human I was planning on proposing before you changed your mind and ran away. You’re probably going to be mad at me and the Doctor when I explain what’s going on.’_

_‘Infuriating men are my type apparently. You’re really trying to talk me out of this, are you sure it’s what you want?’_

_‘I’m sure. Absolutely.’_

_‘Good so what do we do next?’_

_‘Well first we need to get you to shift out of that form. I’m going to connect you deep into my mind. Not just surface thoughts and feelings but to my entire being.’_

_‘You really know how to get a girl hot and bothered,’_ Benny joked.

_‘Actually, it’s the telepathic equivalent of full penetrative sex.’_

_‘Really?’_ Benny was curious now. _‘I’m guessing that’s one reason the Doctor was so insistent he go do something else.’_

_‘He isn’t a complete idiot after all. I’m going to lower my shields completely and need you to connect to me like you normally would, I’ll do the rest.’_

Benny did so as she made sure to be touching him. She wasn’t sure how to describe it. She could see him. Everything he is, was, or could be. The darkness and the light and something in her very being ached to try and chase away some of that dark by adding her own light. Before she really knew what she was doing she did. It was strange because she could feel what it was like to be in his body right then and the intense pleasure that act had brought them both as well as a lot of relief on his part. He then reciprocated by doing the same back to her and it was her turn to be in complete bliss. Brax then proceeded to shift out of his animal body and into his time lord body, and back again, then again, and again, and again, until Bernice grasped the concept of what he was doing and how and instantly knew how to do the same with her own form. Benny did so and they reluctantly parted their very beings again, but left a crack open between them so they would always be linked.

Bernice Summerfield stood naked in the bathroom and remembered another good reason to have no one else there. She hurt a lot, every joint, muscle, and bone in her body ached. 

Brax put his arms around her from behind and she gratefully sank back into the embrace. “It won’t hurt you as much once your body gets more used to it. At least we completed our bond now, probably a lot more deep than is strictly necessary but I’m not complaining. Come on I’ve changed the water to make it hot and added some muscle soak to help with the pain. Not got much else for pain that won’t kill one or both of us left in the flat.”

Benny decided hot water and some muscle soak potion/bubble bath was a great idea and turned around and got into the tub again and felt some relief. “If the Doctor. Any of them. Interrupt this time I might actually try to drown him in the tub, respiratory bypass be damned. Even then he will need to breathe sometime. Granted it will be a while, but still sometime.”

Irving removed his trousers again and got into the tub with her. “You’re turning into a time lord.”

“What?” Benny asked incredulously.

“It’s true,”Brax defended.

“How?” He was right about knowing if he was lying. Benny could sense him telling the truth.

“Ancient Time Lords being unethical and experimenting on your ancient ancestors. As a result there are a very small percentage of humans with the genetic disposition to change into a time lord with enough exposure to the energies of the time vortex like artron energy and such. Just like Gallifreyans.”

“I’ve had plenty of that, between the time rings, other you deliberately using my time ring to syphon artron energy into me, all the changes to my timeline.”

“The Epoch was the biggest triggering factor that made it from a possibility to an inevitability. Their meddling helped things along but what tipped the scale was their remapping technology. When they showed off their technology and where they were filtering through it, you looked into time. Just like we do as children back on Gallifrey when we look into the untempered schism. It affected both you and Peter the same way. Peter was a surprise, I thought his Killoran genes would counteract any of those genes he got from you. It’s why your mind expanded and you developed touch telepathy.”

“Peter is also going through this?”

“Yes but how close to time lord he will get I’m not sure. You’ve made the final leap because of the exposure to that other universe, that universe’s Doctor, then finally being too close to me when I changed back. Then that idiot had to upset you to the point it triggered you changing shape, which was why that happened then. The pain you’re in it’s not all because of the shapeshifting, although it didn’t help. We call it generation sickness, all time lords go through it at some stage in their lives, when our physiology changes from Gallifreyan to Time Lord. Not sure how long it will take you but not long now. A few weeks, maybe a month.”

“And I’d be a full time lord?”

“Yes, regenerations and all. Although you’ll probably not develop a second heart or respiratory bypass and such until after your first regeneration. I am sorry I didn’t tell you any of this sooner, I was pretty much under orders not to say anything until it’s clear you are going to change. I would have told you anyway but the Time Lords were watching.”

“I should say I’m surprised about that part but I’m really not. They always liked their secrets.” Benny lay back in the bath and just tried to relax as she mulled over the revelations. It had been one hell of a day. It started out with her helping her boyfriend and ended up with her changing into a wolf, being told she’s changing into a time lord, and even mated to Brax. She moved over to the man in question and looked him over. He was still handsome in this new body, and she had the urge to run her hands though that silky smooth hair. She sat on his lap and reached a hand around to do just that as he leaned in and kissed her. She noted how more silky his fair felt, it had more of a soft fur like quality to it.

He broke the kiss to let her breathe and they could feel the heat of arousal flowing through each other. “Not that I’m complaining, but I was expecting you to get upset and kick me out of the bathtub.”

“Well technically it is your bathtub. Besides we never got to finish what we started earlier.”

“Well I won’t let it be said I’m a neglectful mate,” Brax replied and initiated another kiss.

-x-x-x-x-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to everyone who took the time to leave comments and kudos, and even just read this fic.


	7. The pros and cons of siblings

The Doctor made it into the TARDIS and ran up to the console and started inputting coordinates right away before initiating dematerialisation. He signed in relief as soon as they were in the vortex.

Rose sat on the jump seat with a look of amusement on her face. “It didn’t go well, I take it?”

“I’m in need of some serious brain bleach right now. Walking in on my brother naked is one thing, but walking in on my brother naked with a mutual friend of ours also naked and obviously about to have sex. Well that is quite another. Don’t get me wrong I’m happy for him, I am. I just really, really don’t want to see what the two of them get up to. Especially since I know from prior knowledge of walking into something I really shouldn’t he can be a kinky bastard.” The Doctor shuddered. 

“Oh you mean that time when we were six and we walked in on him and—“

“Nope. Stop right there! The disadvantages of having a brother who’s a hundred and eighty years older than you don’t bare thinking about. I’d rather remember my big brother who looked out for me and gave me a teddy pazithi bat after he graduated from the military academy.”

“Got to admit though we were both stumped at the time why he’d be—“

The Doctor stuck his fingers in his ears and started singing, ‘I’m not listening, la la la’ until Rose burst out in laughter.

“It’s not funny! Not to mention that alternate universe version of me I’ve sensed was there. Don’t get me wrong he can go around this universe proclaiming to be the Doctor all he wants far as I’m concerned. He’s asexual, which I don’t have a problem with anyone and there sexual or lack of preferences. Just, he’s also a total idiot who had no idea what was going on. You’d have to be a sontaran not to pick up on what was going on there. Really Rose you can stop laughing now.”

Rose managed to stop laughing at the Doctor and asked more seriously, “So did Brax get mad and take a bite out of you?”

“Huh?” The Doctor looked confused for a moment. “Oh my shoulder! No Benny did that.”

“What?” Rose was confused this time.

“She’s one of the very few humans with the genetic requirements who managed to become a time lord. She just managed to shift for the first time and was acting on instinct. I was play-fighting with Brax after he called me something not so nice, and her instinct to protect her mate kicked in. Anyway getting her calmed down enough so it’s safe to leave the two of them alone is what took me so long.”

“I didn’t know a human can become a time lord without going to Gallifrey and through the academy. I know it happens from time to time with normal Gallifreyans who’s potential wasn’t caught as children. Humans though, is new to me.”

“It’s one of the time lords dirty little secrets and has a lot to do with experimentation on their early ancestors by ours. I only know about it because my mother was another one of the very few humans who have done it.” The Doctor confessed as he used a few switches and pulled some levers as he danced around the console, and landed them at their destination.

“I knew your mother had started out as a human but not that she made it to time lord on her own.” Rose replied from where she still sat on the jump seat.

“It’s the reason why there is such a large age gap between me and Brax. He was born not long after she made that leap. My other siblings and I were born after she attended the academy and did all her extra degrees.” The Doctor pressed on his shoulder and winced. “I think she’s managed to fracture my humerus.”

“She really wasn’t messing around. Good job she only got your shoulder,” Rose sympathised then asked, “Do you think they’ll soul bond?”

“From what I saw and could feel coming from them, very likely. Although knowing Brax he’ll downplay the significance of it.” The Doctor winced again as he sat down next to Rose. The adrenaline that had allowed him to ignore his injury was starting to wear off. 

Rose reached over and used some of her regeneration energy and healed his shoulder back to as good as new. When the Doctor looked over at her she defended, “You weren’t gonna do it. Just sit there in pain in one of those self destructive habits of yours.”

“I’ve missed you. You always have kept me from being so self destructive,” he suddenly confessed.

“I thought you’d outgrown me. You never came to see me during holidays from the academy despite us only living a few miles away.” Rose was upset, it’s not something she really thought much about until she was reunited with him.

“No. That’s not true, it’s just…” the Doctor sighed. “Well my father was being an asshole as usual. Only problem was Brax was out on military service and didn’t get all of the same holidays anymore. So he wasn’t there to protect me from father most of the time. Mother’s priority was as always my sisters, she was from a time period on Earth where that’s just how things were. The men raise the boys, the women the girls, and the husband’s say is final. So she just went along with it. Took my mother years to break that indoctrination. Father decided it was bad enough I was ‘half human’, he wouldn’t have me hanging around with commoners either.” 

“I knew your father was an abusive snob but really right now if he wasn’t dead I’d probably throw him in a black hole or something,” Rose replied angry on his behalf.

“Mother got there first sorry.”

“Wait what?” Rose was surprised, the Doctor’s mother was one of the most gentle and mild mannered people she’d ever met.

“I think she just snapped after years of abuse. Once she found him as he tried to start the cycle of abuse again only with his grandchildren, she got scary quiet and she killed him. Brax got rid of the body and any evidence and made it look like he had run off. Then changed father’s TARDIS registration and since she was plenty old enough hid her in a museum.”

Rose let out a slow whistle. “Now I think I get what Narvin once told me his predecessor told him. The CIA looked into potentially hiring your brother but ultimately decided not to because they thought he’d be too good at the job.”

“Probably would be too. Brax is a lot more willing to be ruthless when he needs to be than I am. Will hurt himself to do it too. Want to know the worst thing father did to me? He changed who I was supposed to get married to because he thought I’d like it too much. It’s supposed to be ‘a duty to the house and mother Gallifrey not something fun or enjoyable’. I was supposed to originally marry you. Don’t know if you were ever told that. Instead I was forced to marry the woman lined up for my aunt’s second son and well you had the sense to turn around and run rather than be married to him. Your parents ended up being allowed to keep the land their garden park was on that was deeded to them in exchange, despite you not getting married in the end because they were promised you’d be married to me.”

“No I didn’t know that….. You know…. I don’t think I would have run away if he kept up his end and I was marrying you.”

“I’ve often wondered what might have been if we did,” The Doctor confessed wistfully. 

“There is no point in worrying about it now,” Rose replied, “We’re together now, and I love you, but even if we could change that part of our own past I wouldn’t do it.” The Doctor looked at her a little hurt. “It’s not that I don’t think I wouldn’t have loved you then or anything like that. It’s just that for me at least, the experience of running away and taking charge of my own destiny is a big part of who I am now. The same could be said for you I think.”

The Doctor actually gave a smile at that before he leaned in and kissed her, then jumped up exuberantly. “Ok time we go and wake up your own brother. Brax told me where to find him.”

“Just remember to at least put a shirt on first. As much as I’m enjoying the view you’d probably stand out more than usual if you go out like that,” Rose reminded and the Doctor blushed a bit before instead of running out of the TARDIS haven forgotten he was bare chested, ran off into the depths of the TARDIS for a change of clothes.

-x-x-x-x-

Rose was pretty sure her brother was in the same form as she last saw him in during the war. After all she had seen him pretending to be a policeman in London during Christmas. The problem is they can’t find him in this bar anywhere. It was relatively quiet with only a few patrons who were mostly people chancing the ‘pub grub’ because it’s lunchtime. Behind the bar stood an exasperated man who Rose couldn’t quite place the species of. If she had to guess though she’d think a cross between Killoran and human since he had doglike features mainly a small snout with a dog’s nose but human like moth, human skin around his mouth and eyes but a dark glossy coat over the rest of him, floppy dog ears, dog-like claws instead of nails on the ends of his fingers, and she could see a tail when he turned around.

The Doctor looked somewhat excited to see the man though as he approached the bar and called out in an exuberant manner, “Peter! It’s great to see you!”

The man or Peter gave the Doctor the once over and asked, “Sorry do I know you?”

“Oh yes, the face—“

“Doctor?” He asked.

“So recognise me then,” the Doctor stated, it wasn’t a question.

“Of course. There‘s only two people I know well that would be talking about changing faces. Why do you say that all the time anyway? It’s kind of stupid since far more than your face changes. Anyway it had to be you because Brax wouldn’t be caught dead in a T-shirt that says ‘I’m a wolf, let me make you howl with me’ wrote in Gallifreyan on it.”

This made Rose laugh and the Doctor glared at her. “That would be a mixture of your mother’s fault and Rose’s. Your mother managed to mess up my shirt so I had to change. Rose here…” he gestured towards Rose “…thought this T-shirt would be a fun way to make her brother twitch and talked my TARDIS into turning against me and hiding anything else I could change into.”

“What? That would be ridiculous. I’d never do such a thing,” Rose replied, the picture of innocence.

“You two have been best mates since you changed back into a time lord. Anyway, Rose I’d like you to meet Peter Guy Summerfield, Benny’s son. We’ve known each other since he was just a cub. Peter this is Rose my…. Well, Rose. Not really got a label for us yet. Who needs labels anyway. Although gotta say when it comes to labels Brax taught Peter to call me ‘Uncle Thete’ mostly to annoy me since I don’t like that name much,” the Doctor said in aside to Rose then continued talking to Peter, “Anyway turns out it’s very likely I’m going to be your actual step uncle soon of how things were between your mother and Brax when I left is any indication.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Those two have been dancing around each other for as long as I’ve been alive. Longer even. So that’s hardly surprising. More surprised they actually admitted it than anything. Although what about Miles? He’s a good bloke and he and mum were getting quite serious. He’d even asked me for permission to ask her to marry him as her only living relative.”

“Ah yes. Miles. Is that what he was going by as a human?” The Doctor asked as he took a seat at the bar.

“What are you talking about? What do you mean as a human?” Peter asked, confused.

“Time lords have a technology that lets us temporarily change into another species. Usually human because the same basic shape outwardly. The time lord part gets put in a bio container and the newly human person walks out with no memory of being a Time Lord except sometimes in dreams.”

“Miles Richardson. He’s really Brax isn’t he?” Peter asked.

“Yes,” the Doctor answered as Rose decided to take a seat beside him at the bar. “You’re taking this rather well.”

“You’ve met my mother? Just from being her son things have been happening to me my entire life. It really is debatable which one of you two has led the stranger life and found the most trouble by accident. This doesn’t even register on my weird meter. Heck we even got here in this time period by getting caught up in a time storm. Besides Miles acts a lot like Brax at times, and there was the whole incident with the Epoch. They tried to convince us we were all actors making an audio play. His name was supposed to be Miles Richardson. Now I know a time lord can turn themselves into a human it all makes perfect sense,” Peter stated matter of factly. “I wouldn’t know why Brax would want to do that though.”

“There was a war, a really terrible war and all of it was locked away in a time lock to save all of reality. By being human as the time lock was put in place they escaped. Now Rose and I are left looking for stray time lords who think they’re human,” the Doctor clarified solemnly.

“Speaking of which, where is Marvin?” Rose asked.

“I’ve been wondering that myself. He asked me to do him a favour and tend the bar for him while he goes to his hidden cellar to look for more fire whiskey. That was half an hour ago.” Peter informed them.

“Maybe I should go check on him?” Rose asked, “I mean I’d help you behind the bar but I’m quite frankly terrible at pulling pints.”

“Can’t be as bad as mum. To this day I still haven’t figured out how she made the keg explode. Brax banned her from even trying to pull anymore pints after that,” Peter joked, “the fact he’s involved also explains the name of the pub being the same as his one back on Legion. There is also some of the same furniture, and for some reason they brought Toothless Bob with them.”

“Toothless Bob?” Rose couldn’t help asking.

“Hey Bob! Wake up!” Peter yelled at what Rose had thought was a smelly pile of used bar rags with an old timey prospector’s hat on top stirred to wakefulness.

“Wha? I ain’t done nothin! I don’t care what Crazy Hank told you about those land crows, he’s a dang liar!”

“Well since Crazy Hank stole those land crows from triple breasted Sally in the first place, and with the fact we’re no longer on Legion, means I think we can never mind about that. Besides, I'm not the security chief of Legion City anymore. That was hundreds of years ago. I just came here to visit mum and ended up getting a job offer as a bouncer from a friend of hers. .”

“You ain’t hundreds of years old, you ain’t nothin but a young pup,” Bob replied.

“I’m actually three-hundred and twenty one years old. Looking good for my age if I do say so myself. Bob I need you to watch the bar for a moment, I need to show these two to the cellar. And please don’t mess up the server robots while I’m gone like the last time.”

“It’s ok, I’ll watch the bar, Rose would be better off going since it’s her brother,” the Doctor added.

“You just heard the magic words server robots didn’t you?” Rose asked.

“Who me?” The Doctor asked innocently.

“Just don’t try and make them more sonic, I don’t think Mum Jackie will ever forgive you for the sonic washing machine incident,” Rose teased.

“I stand by that it would have worked perfectly fine if she just let me adjust the sonic regulator,” the Doctor huffed.

“Now that sounds like a good story. I love the Doctor got bored and tried to make something more sonic stories!” Peter exclaimed, trying not to laugh.

“There’s been a lot of those then?” Rose couldn’t help asking.

“Oh yes. My favourite is the sonic toaster incident,” Peter replied.

“That was Brax’s fault!” The Doctor complained.

“What happened?” Rose questioned knowing this had to be a good story.

“Well it was before I was born so I only know what Mum told me. This happened back in the early days when she was on Dellah. Apparently the Doctor decided to pay his brother a visit and they spotted their mother wondering about looking for the both of them. So they did the mature responsible thing and hid in Mum’s flat from her. They got bored and over the course of three days with their mother still wandering around looking for them. Out of boredom had taken apart every appliance in her kitchen, even the sink. So it all came to a head when Mum got up the fourth ‘morningish’ put some bread in the toaster, sleepily went to get something out of the fridge and got a glass of water from the tap. Apparently the tap water had turned into lemonade, the fridge instead of cooling things just froze them in time making the milk warm, and the toaster let out such a screeching wailing sound it instantly woke her and all her neighbours up and all it actually did was make the bread hard. Having had enough Mum went and found their mother and told her where to find her sons. Their mother made the pair of them put everything back the way it was, clean the flat, and apologise like misbehaving children,” Peter told her.

“Their mum was the only person I’ve ever known that could make either of those two do anything,” Rose commented, holding back laughter.

“Hey my Mother was a very scary lady when she wanted to be,” the Doctor defended as he got up and moved behind the bar.

“She is also where Brax inherited his, could ‘sell fridges to ice warriors’ charm from,” Rose reminisced, “One time she managed to have Narvin remove all his ‘spying devices’ from her office and apologise profusely for ever putting such things there before he even knew what he was doing.”

“Do I even want to know why he was spying on her in the first place?” The Doctor asked exasperated.

“Who knows, could just be because he was head of the CIA and she’s Braxiatel’s mother so therefore has to be up to something,” Rose replied with a shrug. “Alright let's go see what ‘Marvin’ is up to.”

Peter didn’t go with her because the Doctor had been an honorary uncle his whole life and knew better than to leave him alone with technology for too long. So he just showed Rose to the secret entrance. 

Rose walked into the cellar and was met with the familiar hum of Narvin’s type 400 TARDIS. ‘Hello girl, it’s been a while.’

‘Rose! Oh it’s so good that you are here! My pilot found the door he wasn’t supposed to be able to see and wandered into the control room, then he went into the corridor off of the main control room. I’ve been keeping him running around in circles with the only working exit being the way out for thirty-seven minutes and twenty-eight seconds now. He refuses to leave. Please can you go rescue him, he’s been trying to take apart part of the corridor for ten minutes and six seconds now.’

‘Why don’t you just open a door there and make it open up to the swimming pool?’ Rose asked.

‘Yes Eldest has been telling me to do so for a while now,’ Narvin’s TARDIS replied, ‘In my experience she’s a bad influence when it comes to these things.’

Eldest was what other TARDISes referred to the Doctor’s TARDIS as. It was some sort of title they bestowed on her as a leader of sorts. She often heard out the arguments of her siblings and mediated disputes between them. They all respected her, but at the same time some did tend to find her sense of humour tasteless. Rose was actually one of the few who knew specifically which TARDIS they were talking about and was sworn to secrecy about it or every TARDIS would stop talking to her and not work for her. She asked why they called her that once, they told her it’s because she is the eldest of them all and not just the box she’s currently contained in.

‘Yes well I’m hardly any better myself when it comes to it,’ Rose replied.

‘That’s only to be expected. You are the Bad Wolf after all,’ Narvin’s TARDIS replied cryptically.

‘What does that even mean? Is it because of what we did to save the Doctor? What was that all about? How come I came out of it alive and well but it killed the Doctor?’

‘You know I can’t answer those questions. It’s still forbidden for us to talk about.’

‘Forbidden by who?’ Rose asked annoyed.

‘By you.’

‘Me? When? How?’

‘I can’t—‘

‘Tell me, yes I know. It’s just frustrating because I really don’t remember any of it.’ Rose replied. She had this argument with both the Doctor’s TARDIS and Hogwarts before, they both told her the same thing. Rose made her way into the control room where her brother in his human guise was trying his best to knock down a wall with a sledge hammer.

“Just let me see it!” He yelled as he took another swing, but dropped the hammer soon after and slid down the wall into a sitting position, rubbing his temples and making pained noises.

Rose just slid down the wall directly opposite him and looked him over. Something had him upset, she could tell. “So any reason you're taking out your anger on that wall. Also where did you get that sledgehammer from anyway?”

Marvin looked up and over to Rose. “Are you a hallucination as well?”

“That’s an interesting question. I mean I’m not, but if I was I’d definitely answer that in the affirmative as well,” Rose mused, “So you've been having many hallucinations then?”

“Not of you. You normally only show up in my dreams, living as a girl from the 21st century. All the way from childhood to adulthood.”

“Interesting. Must be the twin bond, it’s said one of the most powerful bonds out there is between twins that are time lords. I guess it couldn’t be suppressed. I had dreams about you as well the entire time I was human. Some really horrible ones too when it came to what you had to do in the war. Mum Jackie, that’s the woman you left me with who thinks I’m her daughter was always confused because I would talk about having a twin brother. Nice save on stopping Omega by the way. One ancient insane time lord is enough to deal with at a time. So if not me, who have you been hallucinating?”

Marvin blushed. “She’s such a wonderful creature. A lithe savage woman who is smart in her own way, carries a shocking big knife and is pretty handy in a fight. But she’s also kind with a huge heart and a strong sense of right and wrong. She also seems to always be wearing very little clothing.”

“Ah, you still got a thing for Leela then,” Rose observed.

“Like you haven’t got it so bad for the Doctor our bond makes me half in love with him myself. That’s not embarrassing at all. Why did I say that? Who’s the Doctor?” Marvin was very confused.

“You’re remembering. It’s to be expected since you found your TARDIS. You need to open your watch. Oh and talking about embarrassing, thanks to you I’ve been caught ogling Leela more than once. I’m not even into women. You’re at least into both,” Rose complained. 

“What if the Doctor turned into one?” Marvin asked carrying on the conversation out of some sort of instinct.

“That’s’ different and you know it,” Rose shot back. “Just open the watch before the safety goes off and it’s released for you. Will only be worse if it does. Knocked Ross out for the count when he waited too long.”

“Watch?”

“You’re holding it in your hand right now,” Rose explained.

“Oh this thing? It’s broken. Got it from where I lived in Ireland before coming here. Miles and Lily have one as well.”

“Then what harm would there be in opening it?”

Marvin didn’t argue anymore, just opened the watch and was engulfed in golden light and screamed in pain. Narvin woke up as himself once more, but promptly fainted from the pain.

Rose had nearly screamed in pain as well but restrained herself. It was a little known fact that because they were twins they were bonded so closely together they felt things like pain that the other was in. People often glorified the good parts of having a bond like theirs but often didn’t think about the down sides. Like with them feeling the same pain literally, or being attracted to someone because the other one is. She wasn’t joking about Leela. Or him the Doctor. When they were very little they had to be taught to be separate people and could and would use each other’s limbs to do things as naturally as they would their own. A combination of training from the Old Hermit of Mount Lung, and getting older and their different personalities naturally asserting themselves resolved that issue at least. She knew of one other set of time lord twins who were identical twins rather than paternal, that never really did completely resolve that issue.

Narvin stirred and started to groan a little before coming to and sitting back up. “I am going to murder Braxiatel.”

Rose almost laughed but just barely managed to stop herself. “What did he do this time?”

“Named me after a Looney Toons character,” Narvin replied indignantly.

“I dunno, Narvin the Martian has a ring to it as well,” Rose teased.

“I really shouldn’t give you ideas. So the fact that you’re here hopefully means it worked and we’re on the other side of the time lock.”

“Yup, the Doctor is probably messing with your server robots as we speak.”

“He’s what!”

“If it helps I warned him not to make them more sonic,” Rose replied sympathetically.

“Right, feet! Those would be at the end of my legs,” Narvin said as he managed to get up shakily only to promptly trip over a sledgehammer. He looked up at Rose and couldn’t help but ask, “Where the heck did that come from?”

“I’m not sure. You transfigured it as best I can guess. You were using it to try and knock a wall down and yelling at your TARDIS to let you see something. I think you were delirious. You talked about hallucinating Leela as well.”

He let out a huge sigh and slumped back against the wall of the corridor and turned invisible. Rose just reached out to where she knew he was and poked him, startling Narvin back into visibility. “What?”

“You subconsciously turned yourself invisible again. Not that it really matters because I’ll always find you no matter how well you hide, but the Doctor or Peter or someone could come down here wondering what’s taking us so long. Unless you actually want people to know you’ve been able to do that and hidden the talent your whole life.”

“No, as always I’d rather keep that talent between the two of us. It’s nowhere near as effective if people actually know I can do it. So you may as well fill me in on everything and then I’ll tell you what’s been happening on my end.”

And so the two siblings just stayed there and talked well into the night filling each other in on everything.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for reading. I love and appreciate you all for taking the time to read or comment or leave kudos


	8. Lilly Evans

Harry looked around with a kind of wonder on his face he’d not had since his first ever trip to Diagon Alley. Ross was just trying to keep his amusement off his face as he watched the young man look up at the sky to where the Earth was on full display for all to see.

“Didn’t the Doctor take you to see much farther in your future than this? I remember you saying something about New Earth,” Ross queried.

“Yes, but this is the moon. Earth’s moon. I can see the Earth from here,” Harry responded.

“I should make an atmospheric bubble and bring you here in your own time if you really want to see something spectacular. This is the forty-second century, there’s so much light pollution you can’t really even see the stars properly. Welcome to Luna University. By this time both the magic and non magic communities have reunited with each other and live as peacefully beside each other as humans ever do. Meaning a few disputes between neighbours and whatnot but no burnings or major wars between the two populations. All you had to go through, and then Reta Skeeter of all people leaking the story out as best selling books was a major part of all of this you see around you happening.”

“She’s going to write what?!”

“Sorry Harry. Not a lot we can do about it. For what it’s worth she made me seem to be an even worse arse than I actually was. A great achievement considering how much of an arse I was being,” Ross apologised. 

Harry just sighed. “For the greater good yea?” It wasn’t really a question as he looked around him. People from different species were walking around together going to and from classes, or just meeting with friends to go have fun or study. One group were openly practicing some advanced magic, much to the amusement of a small child of an indeterminate species. Robots floated around maintaining the grounds by doing things like tidying and gardening. “I guess I’m used to it.”

“For what it’s worth your part in it is as over as you want it to be,” Ross replied, “it’s very much in flux what you decide to do next. Your destiny is your own again. You can do anything you want to.” 

“So why did you bring me here anyway?” Harry asked.

“Maybe I’m just trying to make up for how I’ve treated you over the years,” Ross replied.

“It’s okay. I actually get it. I was used by Dumbledore just as badly as you were. Yet there really wasn’t another way. Voldemort wouldn’t have taken it well if you had acted fond of me. You were the only one who bothered to tell me the truth about my father. Dumbledore tried to play it off as being a lot like how things were between myself and Draco Malfoy. The two of us hated each other, we would do things to get each other in trouble, but neither of us ever tried to do something that would have gotten the other killed deliberately. Anyway if I still hated you I’d not have spent the last few months hanging out with you almost every day. I can see you’re not who you were then. But really why are we here?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Harry asked, somewhat incredulous.

“Well I got a message from the Doctor to meet him here. Wouldn’t tell me why, just to bring you with me. I can tell they found Brax and Narvin, but that’s about all I can tell. Speak of the devil and he shall appear…” Rossadelaser trailed off. “Oi! Dahrama shit for brains!”

A man who was rushing by towards what a sign proclaimed to be the theatrical studies department stopped dead in his tracks and looked over. “Who you calling such crude names, fish breath?”

“That the best insult you got? Well Harry take note, it’s true what they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” Ross added.

“Nor can a savanna prey animal come up with good insults,” the man replied as he walked over to them.

“Pfft… You just wish you were as cool as me,” Ross replied with a grin and shifted into his animal form which looked like a female deer only red with orange spots and highlights.

The man shifted as well into a wolf-like creature that had white fur with blue highlights. The wolf pounced on the deer but at the last second the deer kicked its hind legs up and hit the wolf square in the jaw which dropped it. Bewildered Harry just watched as they shifted back to normal and burst out laughing. They both saw the look on Harry’s face and burst into a fresh wave of laughter.

Finally Rossadelaser calmed down enough to say, “It’s ok, we’re old school friends of sorts. We were just playing. Let me introduce you, Harry this is Irving Braxiatel. Brax I’d like you to meet Harry Potter.”

“Pleased to meet you Mr Potter,” Brax said to Harry and shook his hand.

“It’s just Harry. Rossadelaser here put me off being called Mr Potter for life,” he joked.

“Yes sorry about that. He was following the programming I put into his transformation. I did try and mitigate the nasty parts of Snape’s personality as much as possible but there was only so much we could do. Some of the Dalek’s agents killed the original Severus Snape, Lily Evans and Albus Dumbledore as babies. The three of them volunteered to take their place since they were stuck as babies and needed to grow up as humans anyway. Maybe it had always been this way or maybe you’re not the original boy who lived as a result. It’s hard to tell really. It all amounts to the same thing though,” Brax mused then turned to Ross, “So you got the Doctor’s message then?”

“Yes, but why he wanted us to come here I haven’t got a clue,” Ross stated.

“Ah you don’t know. That’s so typical of him to try and be so cryptic. Well I suppose it would probably be best for you to see for yourself. If you hurry you should be able to catch up and sit in on her lecture. It’s the big tall building with the hanging potion ingredients garden in the magical end of the university. Classroom number PRW 138. Now if you excuse me I need to go teach my own class of unruly students, can’t really get out of it until the end of the semester,” Brax instructed before saying goodby and running off again in the direction he was originally headed.

“What was that about?” Harry asked.

“I’ve got no idea, but we probably should do what he said and see where it takes us,” Ross replied before leading Harry towards the magical part of the university.

After stopping and asking for directions every so often they found the building and the right classroom. They got in and were greeted by the professor who hadn’t started class yet, “Who are you two then?” She asked. 

She was rather pretty and seemed familiar to Harry somehow, with her red hair and green eyes. Ross had frozen and was gaping like an idiot so Harry answered, “We were told we should sit in on your class by another professor, Irving Braxiatel.”

“Who?” She asked a little confused in the way a name seems familiar but couldn’t quite put her finger on why. “Never mind just sign in on the sheet and go sit down. You’re in luck we have enough spare for the two of you to join in the practical lesson. We’re starting the wolfsbane potion.”

“Really? Normally you need to brew it on a full moon, which is a pity because it means a werewolf always has to get the potion from someone else. But we’re on the moon so I wonder how that affects things?” Harry mused quietly to Ross as they signed the sheet. He wondered why Ross wrote Severus Snape and not Rossadelaser as he’d insisted on being called since that day in Dumbldore’s office. He just replied sheepishly when the man in question gave him a questioning look as they took their seats, “Hey I have actually been paying attention to your classes over the years…. Some of the time. It's something I was interested in actually learning so I could help Remus.”

He just shook his head and sighed. “I still need to get you tested for ADD. I swear you manage to mess up the simplest first year potion, yet something really complicated that you really want to learn, no problems.”

“I’m not quite that bad. I saved Ron’s life once by remembering what you told me in first year about bezoars.”

“And the fact I left my old potions text book in the cupboard knowing Slughorn would give it to either yourself or Weasley didn’t help you remember at all,” he drawled.

“That may have jogged my memory, yes,” Harry admitted, “Thanks for that by the way. Not sure I would have made it through sixth year potions without it. I’m guessing you knew I had it long before I messed up with Draco.”

“If anything I was the one who messed up not you,” he confessed, “I should have looked through the book first and removed anything dangerous. You act so mature sometimes because you were forced to grow up so quickly that I often forget you’re just a kid. I was an angry and arrogant arse when I was that age, and done a lot I’m not proud of. You know most of my least proud moments already. Harry, the professor in here she’s—“

“Quiet please as I take the roll call, I need to make sure everyone is here that should be since this potion will take multiple classes,” the professor in question interrupted. She started calling out names and people answered that they were there or the occasional non answer. She finally got to the bottom of the sheet they signed and she scowled. “Harry Potter and Severus Snape.”

There was a burst of laughter throughout the classroom. As both of them answered in the affirmative.

She sighed, “Did Miles or Benny put you up to this?”

“Who? What?” Harry asked, confused.

“You at least I can give a good review of your performance back to Miles. You’ve got to be one of his students. Props for effort, you got the messy black hair, green eyes, glasses, and even a scar. You though.” She turned to Ross. “You need to grow your hair out, remove the dye, and what is that you're wearing?”

“I’m just Severus Snape after he escaped by faking his death and dressed in a way that stops people from recognising me.” He stood up and gave a twirl. “I borrowed this coat from the Doctor, he wore it in his sixth incarnation I believe. Got to admit Lily, nothing about this screams Severus Snape.”

When Harry heard him call her Lily his jaw almost dropped. He knew why she was so familiar now. “Mum.”

She actually laughed. “This is what I get for telling Miles and Benny I had strange dreams about being Harry Potter’s mother Lily. Also my name being Lily Evens.” She shook her head ruefully. “I practically asked for this. Mr Snape! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”

“Aren’t you supposed to ask him that,” Ross answered pointing at Harry. 

“No, he’s supposed to be my son, and you are the one that was picking on him so turnabout is fair play,” she replied to uproarious laughter from her students. “Let’s try again. Snape, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?”

“I’d look in your ingredients cupboard over there,” he replied cheekily.

“Thought you wouldn’t open a book before coming, eh, Snape?”

Harry couldn’t help it; he burst into laughter along with the others as Rossadelaser just gave her a very Snape-like glare.

Lily continued with the first year potions bit. “What’s the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?”

Ross just sighed as everyone laughed around him, but was secretly glad to see Harry doubled over with laughter about this performance. “For your information Lilly, as you well know, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. Very handy for faking the death of meddling old coots. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons, including Nagini’s venom. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. So how did I do?”

“You’ll do,” she replied with a smile. “Alright class, enough fun for now, we need to make a start on this potion.” 

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Doctor watched as Rossadelaser and ‘Lily’ argued with each other in the bar. They had gone to one of her classes and followed her after. She stubbornly refused to believe the truth as Ross explained it to her, and Narvin and Brax interject with facts to fill in the gaps.

“Look, Miles, Marvin you got me good, but really you guys can cut the act now. First all the stuff about Lily Evans then about being a Time Lord or whatever named Naomi. You do realise you’ve hit really bad fan fiction territory.”

“Then how could I tell you details about Lily Evans’ childhood that you remember in your dreams, but is not in the books,” Ross pleaded.

“I don’t know, but this all seems to be utter nonsense,” she replied.

“I’ll prove it, that I was Severus Snape,” he said, more exasperated than ever. As a time lord he didn’t need a wand to do magic, or as a child of the TARDIS even used words because one of the abilities displayed by people like him was the way they used magic via intent rather than thinking or saying words to direct it. It was much like the way children often do accidental magic only they can control it and don’t grow out of it. Indeed one of the consequences is they never grow out of accidental magic either. But he was going for dramatics so he waved his arm and yelled, “EXPECTO PATRONUM!!”

What would be mistaken for an Earth doe because it is silvery in colour rather than it’s normal red and orange coat, burst into life and pranced around the bar. Harry decided to join in and pulled out his wand and proceeded to cast his own patronus charm and a silvery stag joined in with the doe skipping and jumping around the place.

“Now what are the chances  _ ‘Miles’ _ as you keep calling Brax, managed to find two people with the same patronuses, one of which is a dead ringer for Harry Potter, to come and  _ ‘play a part’, _ ” Ross asked as Lily watched the patronuses as they ran around.

“Look I get it. I didn’t fully believe any of this until I saw Albus Dumbledore regenerate right in front of me. Then I went on a few weeks of adventure through time and space with the Doctor and Rose. Mum it’s all true,” Harry implored.

“But they were all just dreams,” she replied clearly more shaken.

“No, I’m afraid this is the dream,” Brax interjected. 

“Fine, I’ll open the damn watch but if nothing happens you are all in for it,” Lily said as she finally opened the watch and was surprised as she was engulfed in golden light and screamed in agony. When it finished she found herself on the floor because she had fallen in the process. She looked up to see Rossadelaser, her soulmate holding out a hand to help her up. She took it and she let him pull her into his arms. “Rossadelaser I’m so sorry for all I put you through.” She proceeded to kiss him quite passionately causing Harry to look away embarrassed.

They pulled apart and Ross replied, holding back tears, “It’s ok Naomi, you did what needed to be done. Sometimes as a time lord there are just things we all need to do to keep the web of time intact.”

“I think I’d rather be called Lily now though. I’ve grown attached to the name. Oh and one last thing…” she slapped Ross hard across the cheek “…That’s for how you treated my son during his school years, and I don’t care how much of it you had to do to maintain your cover, you deserved it and more!”

“Yes you’re right I do. James Potter may have been a bit of a prat, but that didn’t justify me taking it out on Harry. I’ll forever do anything to make it up to the both of you. Please, my lady give me any command on what I can do to make it up to you and I will of course do so,” Rossadelaser replied, getting down on one knee and bowing his head in submission.

“Oh get up you fool. What you can do is whatever Harry thinks is right. He is the wronged innocent party here after all,” Lily admonished.

“Actually I’ve already forgave him. He was used just as much as I was,” Harry interjected, “He’s been doing lots to help me with my studies to make up for things. He’s really helped both myself and Neville with potions by actually trying and making it interesting. He’s also been teaching me Occlumency for real this time. Helped Aunt Petunia kick out Uncle Vernon and put up wards to make sure he can’t come back when he gets out of jail. Even been helping me redecorate because Aunt Petunia wants the place to look nothing like it did when Uncle Vernon lived there.”

“Oh I wish I could go back and visit, it doesn’t surprise me Vernon was the problem. Alas it would damage timelines too much if I did. Oh Harry, come here,” Lily said as she held out her arms to Harry who gratefully took up her offer as they hugged each other tight, “It’s okay Harry I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere. You’re my son and I love you, and frankly having you was worth everything I went though and I’d do it all over again.”

“I love you too mum,” came Harry’s muffled reply as he cried in his mother’s arms, being held by her for the first time since he was a baby.

“Come on, I think the three of us should go back to my place and talk. We have a lot we need to talk about.

-x-x-x-x-x-

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to everyone who has left kudos, comments and just read so far! I ❤️❤️ all of you!


	9. Generation Sickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday to Time Lady Hope!

Irving Braxiatel made his way back to his apartment. Honestly after how much trouble they had with Naomi or Lily as she was now going by, he was wondering how they were going to manage some of the whole settlements out there of hidden time lords. He stripped off his jacket and waistcoat and undone the cravat. He briefly wondered if he should cut his hair as he caught his reflection in the mirror. 

Braxitel hadn’t had this form for long before being the last of them to transform, didn’t even really have time to really let himself settle into this incarnation first. He had noticed himself and the others so far had picked up a lot more human vernacular, but that was probably a good thing. He had quite enough of ancient time lords and really didn’t feel like swearing by them for example. 

Then there was his brother and Rose. He honestly couldn’t be surprised that the two of them were together now. They were so close as children, and he always suspected they were soulmates. He remembered both her and Narvin as children always running around with his brother everywhere. Rose was always the playful and caring one of the twins while Narvin had always been more serious. Unless his sister was involved she’d always been able to get him to relax and take things a little less seriously. He was actually glad Narvin talked her into joining him in the CIA because he wasn’t sure he liked the dark path he was going down without her. 

Splitting Thete and Rose apart was probably one of the worst things their father ever did to Thete and that was saying a lot. Abusive a-hole that he was, both mentally and physically. He’d always tried his best to protect his younger siblings from him but wasn’t always successful. She was probably the one thing that stopped his little brother from calming up and becoming so unemotional like their father wanted. He’d hit and punish the both of them for ‘being emotional like a human’ and could honestly say he succeeded somewhat with himself. The abuse had made him bury it deep and make personas within personas to hide under. Thete escaped that because he had Rose until he was eight, then only saw their father during the holidays afterward.

Brax finished changing into pyjamas and got into his bed where Bernice was still curled up where he left her and feeling miserable. She called in sick today and yesterday. She was going through  _ ‘generation sickness’ _ as they called it when someone was going into the final stages of turning into a time lord. It was a play on the word regeneration. In order to regenerate, first you must generate. He cuddled up to her and will forever deny to anyone he enjoys doing so. “You’re burning up. Your temperature is getting too high again.”

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus,” she complained.

“DNA being overwritten while your body grows a stronger and more dense muscular skeletal system, and a hyper fast nervous system does tend to do that. It’s supposed to be much harsher on an adult than a child who is yet to go through puberty. It’s why we expose children to the untempered schism at such a young age. Most of those children if not exposed will go through this anyway just by being on Gallifrey and it’s thought to be kinder to do so at an age where they won’t suffer as much. Did you drink the nutrition water I left for you?”

“Yes, and by the taste I probably really don’t want to know what is in there,” Benny complained. 

“Yes, that would probably be for the best. Needless to say though it’s rich in all the nutrients needed for your body to transition. I’m more worried about your temperature. I should probably get hold of Thete, he’ll probably be able to get you something safe to take it down,” Brax started fussing, it was very unlike him but there was something fundamental about the time he was human that had changed him. Maybe it’s because spending time as a human so close after a regeneration he realised had gotten rid of some of that deep rooted self hatred of his human heritage his father instilled inside him.

“Don’t you dare get out of this bed. You make a really nice ice pack,” Benny protested and cuddled up closer, and deliberately shifted one of his hands to her forehead.

“Glad to be of service,” he drawled sarcastically, “Seriously Benny we need to get your temperature down. Your body is largely human still, just with a few added extras to help you survive this and live longer. That means you still have the disadvantages of a human brain overheating until the process is entirely done. Come on let’s get you in a cool bath,” Brax replied as he got out of bed and picked up a mildly protesting Bernice and carried her into the bathroom. She was already only in her underwear because of how hot she was. So he just told the AI to make the water cool and deposited her in it.

“Bloody hell! Brax! This is freezing!”

“Actually it’s only around my natural body temperature, it’s just that your own temperature has spiked up to around 104.3F. Now if you’ll excuse me one moment,” Brax replied as he pulled out a communicator and put it to his ear like a phone waited a few moments until someone picked up then started talking, “Rose, hello. Are you still on Luna and is Thete there?”

_ ‘How come you didn’t just call him? Yes we’re still here.’ _

“You know him, I gave him a communicator but I have my doubts he’d pick up or actually remember to switch it on.”

_ ‘Yeah okay you got a good point there. Give me a moment, I just need to stop him and Narvin trying to tear each other apart in a stupid macho male dominance thing.’ _

There had already been the sound of dogs growling and barking in the background, this was interrupted by two distinctly different sharp yelps then whimpers. A few moments later the Doctor picked up the communicator.  _ ‘What do you want?’ _

“Is that anyway to talk to your favourite brother?” Brax asked.

_ ‘You’re my only brother,’ _ he quipped back.

“Yes well that’s precisely why I am your favourite. I need your help.”

_ ‘With what?’ _

“Bernice. She’s going through generation sickness and her temperature has gone really high. I need something to help take it down.”

_ ‘Her metabolism must be running super high then. Have you been making sure she’s getting the right nutrients and high calories?’ _

“Nutrition wise she’s been drinking the supplements I got from Narvin’s TARDIS, but it’s hard to get her to eat right now.”

_ ‘Ok I’ll be right there soon as I symphysise something to help,’ _ he replied before hanging up.

Thinking Bernice was being unusually quiet he turned around to see her shivering too much to say much of anything. “Thete’s on his way. He’s better than I am with what is and isn’t safe for you to take right now.”

“B-b-bet-ter n-n-not c-c-come in h-h-h-ere,” she stuttered out as she shivered. 

“Nothing he hasn’t seen before, why only yesterday—“ Brax ducked laughing as he dodged the same rubber duck she had thrown at the alternate version of his brother. “Relax, I suspect he’ll either send Rose in or knock the door. Actually I hope Rose does come; she has experience as a healer. Managed to save me from becoming a literal zombie once. She keeps saying she’s better at warding than healing but she’s a lot better at it than she lets on. Would have to be for Ohila to want her back so badly. Actually wanted Rose to be her successor as the leader of their cult believe it or not. Kept saying some superstitious nonsense about her being the golden wolf goddess from before time.”

“Who’s-s-s R-R-Rose?”

“Narvin’s twin sister. I’m surprised you’ve met one of them and not the other. Don’t worry she’s the more likeable one that don’t inspire people to punch them in the face. She’s actually even for a child of the TARDIS, a very powerful empath. I often wonder if Narvin acts like such a huge prick sometimes to make up for it.” He could see the question coming and just answered, “A child of the TARDIS is the title we give to time lords with a special subset of gifts. The main characteristic being able to communicate with an eleven dimensional being like a TARDIS. They do have other abilities that’s characteristic to them, such as greater empathetic ability, they use their psionic energy differently to most people and use it on an instinctive level. Just like children often do, but unlike children they don’t grow out of it and still do accidental magic throughout their lives. Some have more special talents and others don’t. That depends on the individual really.”

Benny was still shivering but was tiredly trying to wash the sweat out of her hair at least as she grabbed the bottle of her shampoo that she kept here. Now she thought about it, she actually had more of her stuff here than in her own place. Miles or Brax’s apartment was bigger and a close walk to the university and he owned it outright. She had actually been considering asking if she could just not renew her lease next month and move here permanently, she spent most of her time here anyway. 

She felt that she should be morning Miles or at the very least be apprehensive that it turned out he was Brax. The thing is she couldn’t doubt that Brax loved her; she could feel it coming from him constantly through their new shared connection. Also Miles wasn’t gone, not really. To her the only difference is he’d been acting from years of shared memories and inside jokes they shared. He really could remember the time at the collection even though it wasn’t him, he’d pretty much shown her everything. Had nightmares about being in Pandora’s thrall. She even managed to share one of those where he was screaming against Pandora, when she, not he, made Peter kill Jason. Pandora just happened to be using his body at the time.

Ultimately knowing her old friend wasn’t the one who did that and actively thought against it made her give up the lingering resentment she held. Seeing it in his memory and nightmares was like lancing an infected wound that had been festering and letting the poison drain away so the wound would heal properly. 

After all that timeline no longer happened. Brax made sure Peter never remembered it even in that timeline. Peter had forgiven him after everything he’d done for him, on and before arriving at Legion. Jason in this timeline didn’t remember any of it. He had vague recollections of someone named Braxiatel being at their wedding and gave them the time rings, but that’s about it. As it was Peter only existed because he was protected by the change that happened because he was outside of time inside of the Epoch base. So Peter didn’t just watch his husband age and die, his father didn’t even know him.

“Here, let me,” Brax interrupted her thoughts to take over lathering the shampoo in her hair. For some reason her technique always bothered him for no reason he could explain. So Benny just let him take over this time because she really didn’t have the energy and it felt kind of nice. 

Before she knew it she was shocked awake from the slight dose she’d been in by cold water running on her head. “Fuck! Brax!”

“Not until you’re well enough,” Brax quipped back as he used the shower to wash the shampoo off. She just glared. “I waited as long as I could while I washed the rest of you. You were in such a stupor I doubt you noticed me taking your underwear off, or that I got you some fresh pyjamas.”

She got out of the bath when finished and was embarrassed how weak she was. Brax helped her get dried put on clean knickers, a pair of pyjama shorts, and an old well worn soft T-shirt. “I’m glad you helped me with all of that, thank you.”

“You helped me a few times over the last few months. It’s my turn to help you. Also you have seriously been dating the wrong men if you don’t expect the same level of care from your partner.”

Benny didn’t answer that. Truth be told Jason had been all about him most of the time. She didn’t expect Braxiatel to be overly caring and concerned either. She was glad to be wrong although a little bit embarrassed about ever thinking that when faced with just how caring and affectionate he could be. She was still too hot so enjoyed snuggling up to him as he helped her back into bed. 

There was a knock at the door to the flat. “That should be Thete. Benny, you really need to let go so I can answer the door.”

“He’ll just sonic his way in, I’m comfortable,” Benny protested and held on tighter.

Brax smiled and kissed her forehead. “Sorry I really do need to let him in, deadlock seal.” He managed to extricate himself from Benny and answered the door. The Doctor was on the other side with a bag of stuff, along with Rose who had her own bag. Narvin was hovering at the back holding yet another looking somewhat bedraggled, Rose no doubt made him help. Both him and the Doctor had visible bite marks that were rapidly healing on their arms any time their sleeves rode up. Peter was also there. He’d not seen Peter since turning back into a time lord. “Well I didn’t expect this many people. Come in and excuse the mess.”

“We’ve got medicine to help with her temperature, nutrition shakes, lots of high calorie and high protein snacks. Oh and a thermos of soup Lilly made, she said it’s a special recipe her mother made as a child when going through generation sickness and in turn made for hers. She said she’ll come around to check up on her when she’s feeling up to guests, but right now she’s spending time getting to know her son and reconnecting with her husband,” The Doctor said as he put the bag down and directed everyone else to do so as well.

Rose however kept hers on her. “I’ve got everything I could. Wish I could have some elixir because it can be used to speed along the process. Next thing I’m doing is synthesising a replacement. There’s a planet the White once colonised that got cut off during the war before they formed the Shadow Proclamation and fell to barbarism. It was actually a gallifreyan colony before that. They are very primitive there now, and I should have no problem getting what I need there. Anyway I’ll go see what I can do for your mate.”

“Zv r,” Brax replied, pronouncing the  _ ‘r’ _ as it’s phonetic sound. Rose looked up at him from where she was rummaging through her bag. “The planet you mentioned. It’s where we left Zaiden at Ohila’s insistence that he was needed there, as well as the sisterhood later.”

“The sisterhood made it out?” Rose asked.

“Yes, they left not long after you did. I was surprised they would leave the sacred flame, but they insisted they were following the wolf goddess or some such nonsense’s directions as she reached through time to them,” Narvin spoke up this time.

“I have no idea what they’re talking about, they keep claiming I am the Wolf Goddess or some such nonsense and I didn’t tell them to go anywhere, although I’m glad they did. I’ll let you in on a little secret though since Karn is gone and it really no longer matters. The whole  _ ‘sacred flame of eternal life’ _ thing is a load of nonsense Pythia made up because she didn’t want Rassilon getting his hands on the real source of the elixir. It’s just been a charade they’ve been putting on for millennia.”

“Zv r,” the Doctor mused for a moment. “Doesn’t that translate from an obscure and ancient dialect of the White’s language as Bad Wolf?”

“Yes it does,” Rose replied trying to be dismissive. She went by the name Bad Wolf during the war. It wasn’t just a name from when she had the power of a TARDIS inside her. All her crew had shed their old names and taken up renegade names then. She had intended to keep using the name Wolf at least but so far things hadn’t worked out that way. “So where is Bernice?”

“Oh, though here,” Brax directed and led Rose into his bedroom. 

Peter was already in there sitting beside his mum and trying to coax her into eating a bar of dairy milk chocolate from 21st century England. “Oh come on Mum, you are burning so many calories right now just think, you can eat all the junk food and beacon sandwiches you like. You’ll not put on any weight. At least that’s what the Doctor told me when he told me about what you’re going through.”

“I really don’t feel like eating anything Peter,” she replied.

“Did he warn you that you may go through this someday?” Brax asked.

“Yes he did Irving. Also about how none of you know how my body will react if I do since there never has been a human-killoran hybrid that’s gone through the process before. It’s also likely because I’m a walking paradox that shouldn’t exist in this timeline,” Peter replied.

“Good. You have any questions about it you can ask me,” Brax added. “Peter… I may not be the Braxiatel you grew up with on the collection, but I do have his memories…. I wanted to say I’m sorry about what I did even if it wasn’t me who did it…. That Braxiatel wasn’t in control of himself at the time and—“

“It’s fine Irving,” Peter interrupted, “I don’t even remember it and it was all alright in the end. Jason was alive and well in this timeline. You made up for it by getting me out of the slave pits on Bastion, helping me through that, giving me advice and guidance when needed and I needed a lot of it after discovering that I’m gay. You protected me from Avril by blowing up that damned asteroid as it passed Legion. You were there for me when I was a teenager turning into a young adult. I’m glad you and mum are together at last because frankly it was getting that bad Ruth and Jack were plotting to lock the both of you in a room together. Since I don’t have my actual Dad anymore, you’re the closest thing I have to one.”

“As much as I hate interrupting the touching moment you're having, I really need to see my patient,” Rose interrupted.

“Of course,” Brax replied and just clapped a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “Bernice, this is Lady Rose of the Patrex chapter.”

Rose snorted. “I’m no lady. Unlike him, I grew up as common as dirt. Just call me Rose. Now you two can wait outside and out of the way,” Rose shooed the two men out then turned to Benny, “sorry about that. They can come back in later, just Brax would be hovering the whole time.”

“It’s actually surprising he’s been so…. Well caring the whole time I’ve been sick.”

Rose just smiled as she pulled a device out of her bag and attached it to her forehead. “He’s a hard man to get through to but once you get in his hearts he’ll do anything for you. He’s always been like a big brother to me. I may have lost contact with the Doctor after going to a different academy, but Brax always made an effort to come say hello when we both had time off for the holidays. His biggest secret, he’s all cool and hard exterior but inside he’s all squishy, soft, romantic. Brax has more hearts than anyone I know, he just has to know someone is willing to accept them no matter what he does.”

“I know that really, and I do love him, and I can no longer doubt his feelings for me. I guess it’s just I’ve never had the best relationships and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Benny confessed.

“Don’t worry too much Brax would catch the shoe even if he had to break several laws of time to do so. I have known Irving Braxiatel all my life, and I’m the same age as his brother. So a long time. He’s had partners and romantic interests before, but I’ve never seen him this in love or taken with someone. Just try not to break his hearts. I’m not sure he’d survive it,” Rose told her, as she read the readout on the device on Benny’s forehead. “Your metabolism really is working overtime and your psionic energy is also working overtime to keep up. So that would explain the temperature and the exhaustion. If only I had some psionic silver, could make you something that would let you feel relatively normal. As it is, the best I can do for you is give you a nutrient drip because it’s going to take more than just drinking the water.”

“Do you all get this bad when going through this?” Benny asked as Rose rummaged around in her bag.

“Honestly no. That’s why we induced it in children, children are still growing and bodies changing. It’s not as hard on them. At most it’s flu-like symptoms for a few weeks and lots of rest. We actually get to go home while we go through it as well. You’re suffering from flu-like symptoms sure, but yours is extreme. It’s not unheard of for gallifreyan adults to go through the process because they weren’t caught when they were young. The adults have symptoms as extreme as yours but don’t have as much bother because their bodies already stand up to using so many calories at once and high temperature. That’s the two main concerns here, making sure you have enough calories and your brain doesn’t cook in the process.”

Rose managed to find a vain in Benny’s arm and insert an IV port expertly. Benny winced slightly and said, “It’s funny how medical technology can advance so much and yet it’s largely the same basic process to give intravenous fluids and medicine as it was when the technique was first invented.”

“And is still given in a place that hurts every time you bend your arm the wrong way,” Rose replied as she pulled an IV pole out of a bag that was comically too small to fit one in there. She set it by her side of the bed and hung a bag of fluid on it, connected it up to her arm, then injected in a strange golden glowing liquid into a port on the bag.

“What is that glowing stuff?” Benny couldn’t help but ask.

“Donated lindos since you won’t be able to produce your own until probably a couple weeks from now, if my estimates of how quickly things are going are correct. Also a little artron energy mixed in. It will help boost your immune system and repair any inadvertent damage. Luckily we have a few time lords around to have enough to not affect anyone donating significantly until then. I’ve already hit up everyone but Brax to get some, will probably do so before we leave. That’s what took us so long.”

“What are lindos?”

“It’s a hormone a time lord produces in order to heal themselves by binding to other energies like artron and then uses that to heal the affected area. We regenerate when there is so much damage the lindos goes completely out of control and into overproduction and that confuses the body making it not really know what shape it’s supposed to be anymore. It will extrapolate from the third strand of our TNA but that being unreliable means we change. Some people can control this though, but I’ve only ever personally met two who could on a conscious level. Anyway expending too much lindos on not healing yourself but instead on others can shorten the lifespan slightly of that incarnation. Or worse, kill them if something happens and they need them before their production levels are back to normal, but that’s in extreme cases. The amount we’re talking about donating isn’t harmful at all anymore than it would be for a human to donate a safe amount of blood.”

Rose pulled out another syringe and put this one directly into her IV port. “That one is a painkiller, and anti-inflammatory. Should bring your temperature down to non brain cooking levels. You can only have one does every six hours, the lindos should be introduced to your intravenous drip once a day, and you need to be on at least two bags of that fluid per day. I know you don’t feel like eating but you really have to. We’ve brought just about everything we could think of that’s high protein and/or calories. Mostly in snack form so if you’re not up to eating a full meal maybe you can manage to keep taking snacks.”

“Thanks for doing all this,” Benny replied.

“Least I can do. We’re going to head off to a planet where I should be able to get everything I need to help you get through this with less medical intervention, but first you gotta have some juicy gossip of things Brax got up to as a human I can tease him with,” Rose said, as she sat down beside the bed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sometime later Rose left the bedroom and joined the assembled time lords (and Peter) in the living room. “She’s asleep. I have her temperature down to levels where she won’t be seeing pink elephants and even got her to take Lilly’s soup and a few chocolate bars to add on some calories. She’s burning through them fast, at least her psionic energy is making sure it takes away fat first. She should make it so long as she sticks to the treatment and takes in calories. I’d be much happier if we go to Zv r and get the element I need just in case.”

“I’ll do anything you wish to get her through this intact and with the least suffering possible,” Brax spoke up, surprising everyone but Rose. 

“Good then you will stay here and look after your mate,” Rose told him. “Time machine, we can be there for ages and come back tomorrow. Don’t worry I’ll drive so we will definitely get back here in a reasonable time frame,” she joked.

“Oi, I’m not that bad!” The Doctor protested. 

“Narvin, will you come with us? Could use your…. skill set… to get the lay of the land so to speak,” Rose implored to her brother.

“Fine,” Narvin acquiesced. He looked over to Braxiatel. “I take it we are waiting for Bernice to generate before we start to set up for waking everyone.”

“I would prefer it, yes. We can wake the nearby settlement of essential people for getting set up in the meantime but really as Rose said, I should be caring for my mate. I really shouldn’t be going to KS-159 without her.”

“The collection?” Peter asked. “It never existed in this timeline but the planetoid itself disappeared without a trace millennia ago.”

“Yes well, that’s because I materialised my TARDIS around the planetoid and set it slightly out of sync with reality to hide there. There’s a huge rift right there making it the perfect place to set up a staging area,” Braxiatel explained.

“Ok so we’re all agreed then. We should leave for Kv r as soon as possible,” the Doctor concluded and everyone agreed.

“Before we go anywhere though, Brax I need you to donate some Lindos,” Rose said and produced a weird looking instrument. It had a large triangularly round cup on one side and a bottle on the other end with a square box with controls on it in between.

“You're giving her lindos?” Brax asked concernedly as he shook his hand and it began to glow.

“Yes, she needs them and artron at the moment to supplement her psonic core because it’s working overtime right now. That reminds me, no shifting form for her until it’s done or enough of her magic frees itself up to do so. She’s on the verge of magical exhaustion as it is,” Rose instructed as Brax stuck his hand in the cup. The glow syphoned into the machine and came out and into the bottle as a liquid. Once the bottle was full Brax removed his hand then he stopped it from glowing.

“You have written out the instructions for her medication?” Brax asked choosing not to show how much the thought of her not making it through this upset him. It didn’t work, everyone in the room knew Brax too well to fall for it.

“Yes. The main medications are in the bag I left in her room. Make sure she gets the drip changed and to make sure she takes at least two doses of IV fluids a day, more if possible. Inject the lindos solution into the port into the bag of the nutrient drip to get them slowly once a day. If it’s an emergency put a shot of it into her IV port. The painkillers the Doctor synthesised can only be given every six hours and inject it into the IV port on her arm directly,” Rose instructed as she handed the bottle of lindos over to Braxiatel. “You can put this in the bag with the rest.”

“The rest?” Brax asked.

“Yes. We’ve all donated. Even Lily and Ross. She’s one of us now, and we take care of our own,” Rose replied solemnly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment, leave Kudos, or even just read this fic.


	10. Accidental Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just a silly little interlude chapter because it really doesn’t fit in with the next one but I wanted to include it anyway.
> 
> Thanks to Tugboat G for the idea you gave me.

Narvin often wondered how his sister talked him into things. Rose talked him into coming which he knew was probably a good idea. What was a minor annoyance is he had to leave his TARDIS at the bar in case something drastic happened while they were away and Braxiatel needed it. So he ended up with both his sister and the Doctor in the Doctor’s TARDIS who decided before they ran headlong into danger actually do need to sleep sometimes after all. They just wanted to get out of phase with Brax first in case Benny took a turn for the worse and needed the medicine she claims she could make with this element. Narvin knew that Rose was putting on a brave face. It had to be bad if she actually needed the amount of lindos she’d collected. 

He ideally wondered as he lay back on the bed in the room the TARDIS had made him if he could talk them into swinging around to the fifty first century where Leela was watching over Romana. Probably not. Besides, Romana would insist on getting back to Braxiatel to initiate phase two of the plan. He was in perfect agreement with Rose that they really should wait for Bernice before putting any kind of pressure on Brax. He needed to be with his mate right now. Besides the Doctor would be anxious, even if he would never admit to it, to find his youngest son. 

He tried to get some sleep but Narvin was having no luck getting any. Besides he didn’t really need to sleep. But he really, really didn’t want to go anywhere outside of this room because this TARDIS has decided to be nice to him and put extra shielding in this room so he didn’t have to concentrate very hard on not knowing what those two were getting up to together. He loved his  sister. She  was very much like all twins, a part of him, but he really really didn’t want to think about the Doctor and Rose doing anything alone together other than playing a very bland and boring game of chess. Alas the down sides of the twin bond. It also made him act like an overzealous chaperone who would react if someone so much as looked at his sister funny. 

Narvin really didn’t want to act that way towards the Doctor. He knew how bad his sister had always had it for him and it didn’t go away with time apart, dating other people, nor distance between them. He was actually glad they were finally together. 

It was just a visceral reaction he had. He guessed it was the lingering abandonment he felt from when they were children. The Doctor wasn’t just Rose’s friend, he was his too. Then they entered different academies, and they heard nothing from him. That had hurt a lot because they may have been time lords but they were also gallifreyan wolves and gallifreyan wolves are all about the pack and family just like earth wolves are. The Doctor had very much been a part of his pack, and a littermate to him. That’s not a wound to get over lightly. 

Even Braxitel was pack to him, one of the older siblings of a pack that looked after the foolish cubs while playing and getting into trouble. They had their differences over the years, but in a lot of ways he still was one of his pack and had continued to watch over him and Rose as foolish cubs.

It was one of the things he liked about Leela. Leela may not have been a dahrama, but she understood hunting and pack in ways he never believed a human could. She even got the complex relationship between the members of his pack, and how Braxiatel fits in. That was something that Romana as a species of savanna cat shifter, never actually got. She was under the impression they hated each other when nothing could be farther from the truth. It was just complicated. Narvin and Brax just didn’t always agree on everything is all, and well dahramas tend to sort out their differences through fights, which to the outside eye can seem brutal but in reality the wolves in question rarely get seriously hurt over. Narvin as a younger male of the pack is also expected to test the authority and boundaries of the older and more experienced males of a pack to establish pecking order anyway. He supposed that’s another reason why him and the Doctor keeps getting into fights right now. The Doctor is only just rejoining their pack so it’s also natural they would test each other to establish who went were in the hierarchy. With yet another joining their pack he was kind of glad it was something the females would rarely bother with unless they where after the same male, so hopefully Bernice would slot right in without much confusion.

Narvin was actually starting to think he could drift off to sleep when suddenly his bed turned into a giant pillow monster that was trying to eat him. “Not again!” He was in the maw of the  _ ‘beast’ _ and smacking its mouth from the inside to no avail. “I am going to kill Braxitel next time I see him!” 

He made a perfect imitation of Brax’s voice and cadence, “What harm could it possibly do to tell the children scary stories before bed.” 

Narvin yelled normally this time, “Only give my sister nightmares for the rest of her life about her brother being eaten by a giant pillow! That’s what! And she always does accidental magic when she has nightmares!”

There was nothing for it but to wait. Any moment now. Suddenly the monster’s jaws were prised open by the giant furry arms of a teddy, but not just any teddy; it was Rose’s childhood teddy. The teddy was grey in colour but was not a bear but a wolf, but otherwise looked like a typical teddy bear. Just with a few sewn up patches and missing an eye. The biggest difference though, this one was eight feet tall and wielded a sword. 

Knowing the drill Narvin dived out of the pillow monster’s mouth and managed to execute a perfect duck and roll landing, then managed to spring to his feet behind the teddy wolf. Just as he did it swung it’s sword and cut the giant pillow in two. He was about to sigh in relief because this is normally when it ends only for a projectile bean bag to hit the giant plushie wolf and it lit up showing stuffing rather than the typical skeleton shown when hit by a Dalek ray.

It was then that Narvin realised the room had changed, it looked like he was in a Lego version of Arcadia. There were Lego people running around frantically and Dalek action figures that shot miniature bean bags instead of death rays. Not knowing what else to do he grabbed the giant sword that belonged to his fallen comrade and yelled, “You killed Pookie! Now you die!” and ran at the Dalek who shot the teddy wolf and swung the sword at it, cleaving it in two.

He could see the exit to his room still there in the Lego Arcadian landscape. Narvin tried turning invisible to get past the toy Daleks but like most of his sisters accidental creations they could still sense him. One shot actually hit him and he was relieved that it really wasn’t anything other than a beanbag. Deadly to toys, but not him apparently. So he took the most fun course of action and made a run for the door and swung the sword at all the Daleks he could find along the way, his sword singing as he went. 

No really, it was actually singing, “I’m gonna hit you, I’m gonna stab you, and soon you will be cut in two!” Over and over again.

Eventually Narvin made it out of the door and slammed it shut, grateful the rest of the TARDIS appeared to be normal. Grumbling he made his way to the Doctor and Rose’s room, and glad to find them with at least enough clothes on to cover the parts he didn’t want to see. He jabbed the still singing sword down between the pair of them, waking the two of them up. “You two need to stop sharing nightmares because they morph into the really, really absurd.”

Rose looked at the sword that had it’s singing muffled as it stuck out of the mattress and groaned. “You just had to live out that nightmare didn’t you?”

“Lego gallifreyan city, bean bag firing Dalek action figures, singing swords and all,” Narvin confirmed. 

“At least having nightmares from the end of the time war is reasonable,” the Doctor protested then added in a teasing tone to Rose, “I can’t believe you still have nightmares about the pillow monster.”

“Who said nightmares had to be reasonable!” she shot back.

Narvin saw something on the nightstand and picked it up, “Well hello Pookie my fallen friend! It’s good to see you actually made it through the time war!”

“Oh shut up. You obviously left him with me as a human baby on Earth,” Rose protested.

“I’m not complaining. I’m just glad Braxiatel decided to solve his mistake by giving him to you in the first place and saying how he will always protect from nightmares. Although probably not in the way that manifested, I'm at least grateful to have a rescuer from your nightmares.”

Rose groaned into her pillow, then threw it at her brother. “Shut up.”

Instead the normally serious to a fault time lord lay down on the floor and mock wrestled with the pillow. “Oh no! It’s going to eat me! Pookie help! Rescue me!”

The forgotten sword started singing a muffled rendition of the song  _ ‘Rescue Me’ _ and the Doctor couldn’t help it, the dam broke and he couldn’t stop laughing. He’d missed this. The way the two twins would tease each other. He’d met Narvin a handful of times as a CIA agent since, but he was always so much more serious without his sister around getting him to relax. The silly side of Narvin was a rarity to see and was glad he was relaxing around him enough to show it.

Rose however shifted and her fur bristled from the embarrassed anger. She leaped at Narvin who in turn shifted in record time and the two dahrama wolves rolled around on the floor in a play fight. Rose eventually pinned her brother, her teeth lightly grazing his throat to signify victory. He pushed her off with a whimper and lay down in a huff on the floor. To show there were no hard feelings Rose affectionately nuzzled the side of his face then lay down beside him. Figuring if you can’t beat them join them, the Doctor also transformed into his dahrama form and lay down beside the two. The three of them fell asleep in a huddle like they were still cubs but didn’t have any more nightmares for the rest of the night.

-x-x-x-x-x-

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to everyone who has left kudos, comments, or just read this story so far


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series, specifically the first trilogy The Farseer trilogy. More in Book 3. A lot of the plot has been changed as well. So please if you’ve never read those books read them, they’re really great.

Rose looked out over the mountains at their destination a little annoyed. She had found the sisterhood in the Mountain Kingdom in the capital, if you could call it that, Jhaampe which wasn’t much more than a collection of huts, a large garden and a palace. The palace was somewhat impressive at least as it was grown out of a collection of trees, rather than being made. 

Ohila insisted they must travel to the once great but now abandoned and forgotten city of Kelsingra. It was the place where the richest nearby source of the psionic silver could be found. And since that much psionic energy can interfere so badly with the TARDIS they weren’t going to chance going there any other way than hiking. Rose however refused to join them quite yet. No she, the Doctor, and Narvin had other things to do first. First they had to extricate the Doctor’s son Zaiden from the situation only someone related to the Doctor could manage to find themselves in.

Apparently the family he was left with had been left with the impression that he was born to the daughter of an old couple and the bastard son of a foreign prince. Well apparently said foreign prince, Price Chivalry Farseer, came back for business and the grandfather dumped young Zaiden off at the fort where said prince was residing at the time. Zaiden also happened to look so much like his supposed father he was taken in and now resided in Buck Keep. His father abdicated in favour of his brother Verity and he was acknowledged as a Farseer but still a bastard so not of the royal line. Also apparently this kingdom known as the Six Duchies was currently undergoing assault from well organised raiding parties known as  _ ‘The Red Ship Raiders’. _

She held Zaiden’s watch which he hadn’t been allowed to take with him when the grandfather ditched the grandson, and sighed. It looks like they have a lot of work to do.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Narvin came back to where the Doctor and Rose were waiting in the TARDIS hidden inside a rundown hut within the outer walls of Buck Keep after scouting. He did so by wandering around the castle invisible, but only Rose knew that. He was also dressed in the garb of a servant so he could stop to talk to people while visible. He handed his sister a tankard along with some honey cakes.

“What’s this?” Rose asked as she sniffed the tankard from her seat on the jump seat in the TARDIS Console room.

“Mead. It’s also quite good. Had some already. The honey cakes are gorgeous, and those are fresh out of the oven according to the cook Sarah. She makes the best honey cakes I’ve ever tasted. She insisted I must give you some when I told her I had to go meet-up with my sister and her husband.”

“Where’s mine?” The Doctor whined.

“I gave it to the wolf that’s made a den out of this hut as bribery to get past. He complained they weren’t ginger cakes but seemed happy enough,” Narvin replied as he took a seat by his sister leaving the Doctor standing in a slight huff.

“There’s a wolf out there? This close to civilization?” The Doctor asked incredulously.

“A yearling cub if I’m not mistaken. He was rescued by your son as a small cub and has been living here since. I think he’s his familiar but couldn’t get much out of him in that regard. He told me I needed to bring him ginger cakes if I wanted to get that as well as his name out if him. On the bright side if he is, Zaiden or FitzChivalry Farseer as he’s known around in these parts, familiar, he should be here soon enough out of curiosity if nothing else.”

“So what can you tell us about what’s going on other than that?” Rose asked.

“Well it seems our boy Fitz is actually being considered to become part of the line of succession officially. King Shrewd is rumoured to be quite ill, his second wife Queen Desire died some years ago now and their son Regal was killed in the first raid of the red ship war. No one knows why he was even at the place the raid took place in the first place. King in Waiting Verity has been wed recently but no signs of an hare yet. Fitz’s suspected father Chivalry is supposed to be dead but know one really knows, he apparently just disappeared one day and his horse returned to the stables by itself. Also FitzChivalry is well loved among the common folk and has gained some renown for his battles against  _ ‘the red ship raiders’ _ . Winter has finally arrived so people can relax now the seas are too rough to bring any raiders. The raiders have managed to take some of the people captive and done what they call being  _ ‘forged’ _ to them. This apparently makes them walking zombies that attack senselessly and have lost any connections to the rest of humanity and crave things like food, or other resources and will get quite violent to get it, only to forget about it if something else peaks their interest.”

“It had to be zombies. As if the Dogma virus wasn’t bad enough,” Rose muttered.

“Quite agree with you on that one,” Narvin replied and shuddered. “So we need to catch one of these  _ ‘forged’ _ people and figure out what is wrong with them.”

“Do we really have to bring zombies in here? My TARDIS still hasn’t forgiven me after the last strain of zombie…. Well second to last since there was that incident with the gas mask zombies thanks to Jack and the nano genes…. Anyway, the second to last incident I came across zombies. I trapped one in here to study it and it made quite a mess.”

_ ‘Quite a mess? It will destroy the console, ripped out my wiring, and produce this slime stuff that got everywhere! I swear I still find little bits of that slime in places and that was three whole regenerations ago for him,’ _ the TARDIS complained to Rose, who thought better of correcting tenses right then so she wouldn’t also be angry at her.

“Yea definitely no zombies in the TARDIS,” Rose agreed with the Doctor and gave an involuntary shudder at the images the TARDIS sent her of the previous incident in a tirade.

Suddenly the TARDIS door opened and FitzChivalry wandered in, in a daze. “No this can’t be real. That was all a dream…”

“We seem to be getting that reaction a lot lately,” Rose commented, she turned to her brother, “looks like you were right Narvin, that wolf was his familiar.”

“Familiar?” Fitz commented, shaking himself out of the daze. 

“It’s what we called it when you choose to bond with an animal for whatever reason, back on Gallifrey,” The Doctor replied and approached him like he would a startled animal as he held out the watch.

Fitz saw the watch and started to panic. “No! It’s not real! It can’t be real!”

The wolf from outside ran inside feeling his partner’s distress and made a lunge at the Doctor. The Doctor quickly shifted into Dahrama form and wrestled with the yearling cub until it submitted.  _ ‘Calm down, we will not hurt him deliberately. He’s not in danger, he's just freaking out because he’s remembering who he really is. We are his pack. We only want the best for him,’ _ the Doctor told the wolf.

In the meantime though the watch fell down and opened changing FitzChivalry Farseer back into Zaiden the time lord. It hurt a lot but not anywhere near as much as it would have if they had left him on Earth for example. The people here are descended from colonists who came from Gallifrey so are in large part Gallifreyan with some White mixed in. They had evolved enough in a different evolutionary path since then to register as a different genius of their species though. Main difference is no second heart or respiratory bypass. Those were evolutions that happened on Gallifrey sometime after they became time lords. They also somehow lost the ability to shape shift along the way, but some could still talk and bond with animals in what they call  _ ‘the wit’ _ .

Zaiden got up from where he himself had fallen on the floor and looked over at the two wolves. “It’s ok Nighteyes, what he says is true. He’s my actual father.”

The young wolf managed to get up and shake off the fight.  _ ‘Are you ok brother? You feel the same yet different.’ _

“I’m back to who I once was is all. It’s very complicated in ways you wouldn’t fully understand. But these three are part of my pack.”

_ ‘And I wouldn’t have believed any of it if I didn’t see it,’  _ the mental voice of King in Waiting Verity Farseer added.

Zaiden had forgotten that Verity was riding along with him using the skill as they called it, or psychically as his people would call it.  _ ‘Should I make a run for it now?’  _ He sent back to the man he had thought was his uncle only moments ago.

_ ‘Why would you do that? There’s still raiders on our shores most of the year. I can’t trust the skill users Galen trained. Regal may be dead but I’m afraid they still seem to be following my brother’s plan despite that. We have forged ones encroaching on us even when it is winter. I still need you Fitz… or what should I call you?’ _

_ ‘Uh.. my name is Zaidenlecitisherlungbarrowmas of the house of Lungbarrow and Prydonian chapter of the once mighty and great race of the Time Lords…. Or just Zaiden for short, but you can still keep calling me Fitz. It’s fitting really considering I really am the bastard son of a man from a noble house, left at the doorstep, handed over to my uncle. Although my father over there did raise me once we sorted out who that was exactly. Until he had to rescue my niece from a fate worse than death when I was the equivalent of fifteen, steal this TARDIS and run away. Was largely raised by my uncle after that, but that’s another story.’ _

_ ‘Well I guess I’ll just have to do better at earning the title of favourite uncle,’ _ Verity added in amusement.

_ ‘Wait… what?’ _ Fitz asked back.

_ ‘We always knew it was a risk Fitz. You look like Chivalry, you have a lot of his mannerisms, you even have the wit like he did. All pretty strong indicators that he was your father, but there was always the risk that he wasn’t. It was one we accepted when we brought you home from Moonseye. One I for one am glad we did. Just because we may not be blood related doesn’t make you less my nephew. Honestly the Farseer line probably isn’t even a straight line anymore from generations ago. Things like this have been known to happen in most noble families, what really matters when all is said and done with them is the appearances of it all. Besides I’m the only one that needs to know.’ _

_ ‘Wait Chivalry had the wit?’ _

_ ‘So did our mother. It skipped myself but it’s been known to run in the family. It’s not a bad thing, and people gave up killing people for it years ago even if there still is a stigma.’ _

_ ‘I much like my father over there can turn into a wolf from my home world. We all can turn into an animal form, it just happens that those of us here are wolves. Ironic considering the untrue myths about people with the wit being able to change into the form of their bonded animal. How long have you known I have the wit?’ _

_ ‘Chade figured that out years ago. Also I have been regularly in contact with you for a year now. It was obvious when I could see everything you were doing. I just sensed you would be less embarrassed if you thought I didn’t know. Your father, I’ve picked up thoughts that he is somewhat of an expert in helping with situations like we are in now… do you think he can help?’ _

_ ‘I’m certain of it. He’s no doubt thinking up a few hundred different plans already and how to catch a forged one to find out what exactly is wrong with them. I have a few ideas on what could be the cause already and none of them are good. Where are you? Should we go to you or you come to us? I really need to be in physical contact with you to check something. I know from my previous lives all about using the skill now and am much stronger with it. I’ve found several skill compulsions that Galen no doubt placed on me that I’ve gotten rid of. I need to check they didn’t do anything to you either.’ _

_ ‘Is there no end to my brother’s treachery? He’s been dead for a couple years now and still we run into problems he’s caused. Fine, come meet me in my study. You may as well bring your relatives with you.’ _

Zaiden jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see his father looking concerned. “I’m fine Dad, I was just having a mental conversation with my  _ ‘Uncle Verity’ _ . We have been psychically linked or  _ ‘skill linked’ _ as they call it, for a while. I’ve kind of been acting as his eyes and ears around the castle for a while as well as passing on information when I’m at sea about where the latest attacks are and to head to them. I kind of forgot he was with me when I came here. He knows everything and wants us to meet him in his study.”

“We can cut and run if you’re in danger for not being who they thought you are,” The Doctor replied.

“I’m fine for the moment. Besides Chade doesn’t actually have any poisons that will work on a Time Lord. Chade is the royal assassin, adviser, spider, spy, and my mentor. Also a royal bastard, the brother of King Shrewd. He’s getting on in years and they have been training me from a young age to replace him. Verity also told me he’s going to be competing with Brax for the title of favourite uncle,” he said soberly with a lighter note on the end.

“Since a child! They’ve been trying to train you to be an assassin since you were a child! How can anyone do that to any child yet alone one that is supposed to be family,” The Doctor was annoyed on his behalf.

“I’m a bastard, not family. The only one of the royal line who ever treated me as family is Verity. He used to ruffle my hair when passing and comment on how big I’m getting, or give me toys he’d claim to have found in the bottom of his clothes chest even though some where obviously new. Others have since Regal’s death started to look at me as a possibility for being in the royal line, but to most I am still the bastard. Being a royal bastard is a precarious position to be in that could get me killed by my own family if they think me a threat. This is a primitive society.” 

“That doesn’t mean I have to like the way you have been treated. You are still my son, no matter what life you’ve made for yourself here and wherever you decide you wish to stay in it or not,” The Doctor proclaimed then pulled his youngest into a tight hug.

Zaiden hugged his father back then pulled away and said, “I don’t know exactly what it is I am going to do later, but right now a lot of people need me in order to stop the atrocities the red ship raiders have been committing.”

“That’s my boy, now let's go talk to your new surrogate uncle and see what we can do to help,” The Doctor told him proudly.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Verity didn’t know what to make of the three people who came with Fitz to meet in his study. They spent ages talking about what could possibly be going on with the people who have been forged, and it basically came down to they needed to capture one of them and see. Chade had of course tried this before but nothing had helped. From what he could tell from Fitz’s memories though they could do things Chade could only dream about.

As for the three people themselves. The one Fitz claimed was his father had an ancient look in his eyes despite what his outward appearance was, and babbled a lot without actually really saying anything. 

The twins seemed to take his lead. The woman Wolf she insisted on being called, seemed to be very adept in the skill from what he could tell. Her twin brother Narvin appeared to be very adept at sneaking around and gathering intel, he was worse than Chade in that regard. Fitz seemed to trust the two unconditionally though, a feat in and of itself considering the only one he’s ever shown that level of trust to was Verity himself.

He was going to summon Chade and get him to join in on this discussion when the Fool wandered past and their leader, the Doctor accosted him. The Doctor wrapped an arm around the pale colourless young man and led him in. “Well hello! I thought all of the White left this world during the war!”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I am just a fool. Something you seem to be trying to emulate. Alas my time here at court is done, the king has a new fool for entertainment,” the Fool retorted.

Fitz took in his odd friend and groaned as he realised something. “He’s following the old religion of ‘The White Prophet’ and has been using me as his ‘Catalyst’. Also you’d need to come up with a better insult for him fool, that man has been playing the fool for about a millennia now.”

“Oi! I’m only 900 years old thanks,” the Doctor huffed out and let go of the Fool.

“Years by the time it takes Aidiealia C to make one revolution of the sun maybe,” he quipped back.

“Oh come on even I’m not that old. Aidiealia C takes six hundred years as measured by a year on this planet to make one revolution of its sun,” the Doctor protested. “Oi, what are you two laughing at? You’re only two gallifreyan weeks younger than me,” he said to the Wolf and Narvin.

“See fool. Just hit him where it hurts, his age,” Fitz said in aside to the fool. He could see the fool was looking ready to bolt. “What do you know about what’s going on Fool. You’d not be here if you didn’t have a prophesy to follow.”

“I had a dream of where I needed to go, a black rock carved as a Buck coming from the sea. So I found Buck Keep and the name Farseer. Suddenly there is an unexpected son who has no name who knows not his mother. He shall be the catalyst to be a stone before the wheel of time to change its track,” The Fool said in some defeat, “But suddenly everything has changed and there are so many more possibilities I cannot make heads nor tails of them. The red ship raiders are being led by a brute of a man who is the catalyst for who the people from where I came from says is the white prophet but she’s wrong. On the bright side her sight is probably as messed up as mine right now.”

“It sounds like you need help with deciphering your time senses to see the most likely outcome and how to counter it if needed,” Fitz or Zaiden said simply. “Luckily for you, now I am back to being a time lord with all the memories and skills that entails. One of which is doing exactly that. I’m like my father that way, it’s an innate part of our magic, able to see and put things on a better track. Just unlike him it’s not something I did before the time war because it was forbidden to meddle, I wasn’t a rebel until then. Before the war I was an instructor at the Time Lord Academy teaching children how to properly use their time senses.”

Fitz reached his hand out to the Fool, “when I became a rebel I dropped my old name and took a new one as is customary by our people. I am Changer and it’s time to change things for the better.”

The Fool took Fitz's hand and was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of possibilities he saw.

_ ‘Calm down. I know it’s overwhelming but you may be a white because of genetic happenstance but you’re also part gallifreyan you should be able to handle it with help. Show me what you know of the past first,’ _ Fitz spoke to him mentally.

The Fool as private a person as he is hated to do this but he just knew he had to.  _ ‘It all started when I was taken to Clerres as a boy.’  _ He then showed him his life from then until now and everything he knew. After they finished with the past they started looking at so many possibilities the fool thought he was going to get lost despite being able to see things this way normally, just never so intense. Suddenly a path light up among those possibilities as the changer helped him sort through it and they saw a path to defeating the false prophet.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The four time lords and one wolf had to track down forged ones. The plan was for them to subdue them then bind their limbs and bring them to the castle dungeons.

The Doctor, Rose, Narvin and even Fitz turned into their dahrama wolf forms where no one would see them and sniffed some of the forged out. They had intel from Chade’s network of people a general direction to look for a large gathering of them but that was about it. 

Fitz knew he’d have to turn back before anyone saw him, but he had longed to change and go on a hunt since he had changed back into a time lord. His coat was much like his father’s flame coloured coat but was more golden in its highlights giving it a lighter hue than his father’s more deep red and orange coat and had a more swirling pattern.

Rose was having fun playfully trying to shoulder check her brother as they ran. Fitz often wondered as twins how their wolf forms looked so different. Rose’s fur was more golden with an effect that made it look like swirling vortex energy, while her brother Narvin had a black  _ ‘shadow’ _ coat making him blend in easier in the dark.

_ ‘This is pack, my brother. Even if the hunt is about man stuff,’  _ Nighteyes called out to Fitz.

_ ‘I’m sure we will be able to hunt together like this for real sometime,’  _ he consoled Nighteyes.

_ ‘Even a pack has to defend their territory from time to time from another pack. This is what we do cub,’ _ Narvin sent to Nighteyes,  _ ‘You have much to learn about pack life young one if you think wolves only kill to hunt. Sometimes such battles over territory end in death. We don’t even aim to kill this time. Just to capture.’ _

_ ‘I smell them this way,’ _ the Doctor interrupted.  _ ‘They smell worse than the turserons, and Turserus is one of the smelliest places ever because they communicate through precisely modulated gastric emissions.’ _

_ ‘Yes we know, they communicate by farting,’  _ Rose replied,  _ ‘it’s such a pity they discovered fire, they were such a peaceful race.’ _

_ ‘Yes, well can we just concentrate on taking down some of these zombies so we can do something about this?’  _ Narvin asked and they stopped messing around and concentrated on the hunt.

Instead of sending words to each other telepathically they used visual and mental queues on where to go, how to approach and finally to go for their prey. They found a group of three, so Rose, Narvin and the Doctor sprang on them and managed to pin their targets. Nighteyes ran around snapping at any that seemed to be struggling too much, while Fitz changed back from wolf form behind some bushes then rushed forward to restrain the forged people, tying up their arms legs and gagging their mouths to stop them from biting.

Satisfied they all changed back and started the long arduous journey back to the castle. Luckily there were no superstitious locals around because their magic on this planet doesn’t include transfiguration. So one of them transfigured a cart to put the forged in so at least all they had to do was push and pull a cart all the way there.

-x-x-x-x-

“Interesting. It seems this person has had most of their soul removed. If that was all they may recover in time but we’d be talking decades. That’s not all it is though, the connection to the rest of the soul is not severed, they are on a tether to whatever is draining that energy from them,” Rose reported after closely examining the zombies she, Narvin, the Doctor, Fitz and Nighteyes has rounded up for study. 

Some guards looked chagrined at Nighteyes who had thoroughly enjoyed the hunt. Verity told Fitz to be seen with the wolf because there were enough rumours going around about him thanks to political enemies like the Dukes of Farrow and Tilth. People had been remarking about how the bodies of forged have been savaged by a wolf and thought Fitz himself did it. Of course he actually could now, but they didn’t need to know that. A lot of guardsmen were feeling foolish for believing superstitious nonsense when it was revealed to be just a normal wolf Fitz had acquired and trained from a cub to help him in such endeavours.

Also apparently Nighteyes new favourite person is the head cook Sarah because she feeds him ginger cakes.

“How could that be possible?” Chade asked more fascinatedly than anything else.

“There’s a substance in this land that was used by what you call the Elderlings. It’s stone laced with psionic silver. The silver is like a kind of liquid magic. The early settlers here used it to carve dragons out of stone when the colony was under attack before the civilisation fell to barbarism. Once the dragons were complete the people who carved it melted into it body and soul. That is how the race of dragons came to be. They then breed and lay eggs inside beaches made from this stone and hatch as serpents, then they come into land and make a cocoon out of the same substance and become full dragons. It’s quite fascinating really. But they jealously guard the silver as they call it because they need to keep drinking it in order to not turn into stone. Of course it can also be used to do a great many things so it’s a precious resource.

What I believe is happening is they are forcing people into this stone but not all the way. For what ends I don’t know but it can’t be good. Fortunately we do have a way to reverse the process,” Rose explained.

“We do?” The Doctor was confused.

“Psionic silver is one of the secrets of the Pythia, Karn was one of the few planets which possessed it. We need psionic gold to draw it back. That substance should be more familiar to you since it was a natural resource on Gallifrey. One of the nearby uninhabited planets should have it since psionic bronze, silver, and gold are all found in the same solar system when it does occur naturally,” Rose replied.

Something occurred to the Doctor then, “That’s why the sisterhood went out to seek a source of it isn’t it? That’s the real secret ingredient in the elixir, not that sacred flame stuff.”

“I honestly can’t believe sometimes that the Time Lords fell for that one for so long. I shouldn’t be telling you any of this but it’s going to come out sooner or later,” Rose replied with a smile.

“Well we don’t actually need to go farther than my TARDIS for the psionic gold,” The Doctor added. “I’ve got some in there.”

“We should be able to make a device then that we can put into the TARDIS and make everyone go back to normal,” Rose speculated.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Doctor babbled to anyone who would listen about the brilliant invention he just made with some help from Narvin who, being an engineer for years before ever joining the CIA couldn’t help but throw in random bits of advice and help in making it. Apparently psionic gold is stronger than psionic silver so should help them pull the people’s souls back into their bodies. The soul containers of the chameleon arch work much the same way only they use bronze and gold to balance each other. He didn’t know for sure there was a silver but always suspected as much before this. Karn was the source of psionic silver in his home system and they had kept it a closely guarded secret. 

Rose had known of other solar systems such as this one that had the psionic metals because she had been one of the few skilled in working with it within the sisterhood so had made a study of it. It took a certain skill set to work with the stuff and few people had the patience or talents to learn it. It was why Ohila was the current high priestess, and one of many reasons she still had her eye on Rose as a successor.

They tested the new device on the three captured  _ ‘forged ones’ _ to much success, leaving three bewildered people who didn’t remember much of what had happened to them. They remembered the raiders and being taken onto a boat that was white in colour rather than red and there was a giant rock on there, but nothing after being pressed against the rock.

So the Doctor then hooked the device up to the TARDIS and used the TARDIS to boost the field emitted by the device into a field that covered the entire planet. This cured all the  _ ‘Forged’ _ , including the important leaders or their families in the Out Islands who they had this done to them as punishment in order to make them cooperate and join the raids. 

For the next week the weather was particularly clear with no storms. Instead of any Red Ships an envoy arrived from the Out Islands and the leader of the raiders’ own mother house. They presented King Shrewd and Crown Prince Verity with the head’s of both Kebal Rawbread who had led the red ship raiders and the  _ ‘Pale Woman’ _ who had started it all. They hoped to make peace and end the war their men had started. They had started by  _ ‘forging’ _ the women in charge of the clans and led by fear. Once the reversal had happened there was a very bloody uprising to take back the out islands and make examples of those men who defiled the mother houses.

The next step had been to contact the Shadow Proclamation to let them know exactly what the  _ ‘White’s servants’ _ had been doing in their absence. They came and they sent the Jadoon into Clerres to round up the servants and all the White they had bred like cattle in order to tell the future. The White took in all the White from Zv r to try and integrate them into their society. This included the Fool who didn’t want to go but was given little choice.

The Time Lords are going to be going into negotiations with the White to reclaim their lost colony on the premise that it was they who originally terraformed the planet and had claimed first. The White just had originally an agreement to lease it from them. They also plan on terraforming two other planets in the system for their resources, and to live on one of them.

Zaiden/FitzChivalry volunteered to stay behind to be one of the representatives of the native population from lost colonists when negotiations begin. A role his  _ ‘Uncle Variety’  _ and King Shrewd gladly gave him, the old king being as his name suggests shrewd enough to agree they would have an advantage having someone who knew all the relative laws on their side.

One other strange thing happened when the device was triggered, a number of people appeared at the witness stones. All of which had been said to have been lost at the stones anything from a year to a century ago. One of which was Prince Chivalry, who after bemusedly finding himself there made his way to the castle. The guards at the gate thought he was Fitz at first but got the shock of their lives when they got a closer look. The entire castle was brought into an uproar as people scrambled to inform the King and his brother Verity. His wife Patience had a lot to say about worrying her and how much he hurt her just disappearing like that, then turning a complete 180 in typical Patience style and saying she’d have to forgive him now or risk dying of old age before she had forgiven him.

The Doctor, Rose and Narvin made their goodbyes and went to the sisterhood where Rose got the psionic silver she needed. The Doctor and Narvin really wanted to look around the eerie abandoned yet magically alive city, but they had to go. After all Bernice needed the elixir she had made with it.

-x-x-x-x-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has been so long, can’t promise the next one will be any quicker. I’ve just had problems getting motivated to write recently.
> 
> Thank you to all who have read so far, left comments or Kudos.


End file.
